German Growth to Slow

Germany’s economic upswing will lose some momentum in coming months after Europe’s biggest economy enjoyed a solid start to the year, the finance ministry said in its monthly report on Monday, Reuters reported. The economy grew by 1.9% in 2016, the strongest rate in five years, helped by soaring private consumption, higher state spending and increased construction activity. In the first three months of 2017, the economy picked up further speed, with its quarterly growth rate increasing to 0.6% from 0.4% in the fourth quarter of 2016 .