German govt sees economy losing momentum in Q4

BERLIN: The German economy is likely to lose momentum in the fourth quarter of the year due to weakening investment, industrial output and exports, but leading indicators point to a recovery over the course of 2013, the Economic ministry said on Tuesday.

"The difficult international, and above all European, landscape has acted as a brake on the German economy over the course of the year and further weakness is to be expected in the last quarter," the ministry said in a statement.

"An improvement in the sentiment indicators could be a sign that the weak phase will be gradually overcome after the winter quarters," the ministry added.