Survey shows German businesses increasingly gloomy

BERLIN (AP) — A closely watched survey shows increasing pessimism among German businesses.
The Ifo Institute said Tuesday its business confidence index dropped to 101 points for December from 102 points in November as managers’ view of both their current circumstances and their prospects for the next six months fell. That’s the fourth drop in a row.
Germany’s economy, Europe’s largest, shrank in the third quarter and there are increasing worries about the effect of