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Comment: The dilemma Merkel faces to save Germany

As the economy weakens, the chancellor faces a choice between populism to win re-election or fundamental reform, writes Bertrand Benoit

Germany to boost share ownership

Workers could receive a bigger share of company profits under government measures aimed at raising the low rate of equity ownership among employees to the level of that in other large EU economies

German business sentiment plummets

A sharper-than-expected fall in the Munich-based Ifo institute’s business climate index fuelled fears that Europe’s largest economy was falling into recession with little prospect of an early revival

Analysis: Atomic overtures

As voters in Europe’s biggest economy question the wisdom of decommissioning all reactors by 2012, power groups led by RWE hope that an offer to give up some of their profits will swing the debate in their favour

Editorial comment: Deutschland AG

The German government, while not alone in its fears of foreign investors, is not doing its economy a favour by shutting them out

Berlin foreign investors’ bill clears hurdle

The German government adopted a measure to shield strategic industries from unwanted foreign investors by allowing the reversal of any acquisition of more than 25 per cent by a non-European group

German investor mood brightens

Investors’ gloom over German economic prospects has lifted this month, with recession fears receding, according to the closely-watched ZEW survey which showed economic sentiment rising 8.4 points in August to minus 55.5 points

Rising rail demand pulls Deutsche Bahn ahead

Record petrol prices appear to have spurred hundreds of thousands of Germans to ditch their cars for the train, a trend that has buoyed state railway Deutsche Bahn ahead of this autumn’s flotation of its train operations

Bid battle reopens Continental rift

A rift in Continental’s top management resurfaced just as the car parts maker entered a crunch week in its takeover battle with Schaeffler, the rival that launched a €11.3bn ($16.7bn) bid one month ago

Brave face put on eurozone setback

Economists expect a lengthy weakness, while political leaders believe that the current troubles largely reflect external shocks such as soaring commodity prices and the US slowdown