Germany's Economy Grew Less Than Expected Last Year

0.4 percent in 2013

Germany's economy grew by a weaker-than-expected 0.4% in 2013 according to the first official estimates.

That is down from the 0.7% growth Europe's largest economy saw in 2012.

The preliminary figure from the German statistics agency suggests Germany saw little or no growth in the final three months of the year.

However, most economists expect the economy to bounce back in 2014 with growth of up to 2%. The government is forecasting 1.7%.