GERMANS ARE a brooding bunch. In spite of everything, their language gave the world “angst”. After 5 years of bother some could even be feeling a way of Niedergeschlagenheit (actually, beaten-downness). Covid-19 was adopted in 2022 by battle in Ukraine, hovering vitality costs and cooling Chinese language demand for German wares. Europe’s greatest economic system final grew 12 months on 12 months within the first quarter of 2023—after which solely by a downbeat 0.2%.