Recession fears mount as German industrial output falls

German industrial production declined more than expected in March due to a heavy fall in car manufacturing, official data showed on Monday, deepening fears Europe’s top economy faces a sharp downturn. Output dropped 3.4 per cent on the previous month, seasonally adjusted figures from the federal statistics agency Destatis showed. It follows two strong months of growth in January and February, and was worse than the one per cent decline forecast by analysts surveyed by financial data firm FactSet.