A drop in German exports added to a string of ugly data for Europe’s biggest economy, suggesting Germany’s growth has faltered and the country might even be in a shallow recession, The Wall Street Journal reported. German exports in August fell 5.8% from the previous month, data released on Thursday showed, the biggest monthly decline since the 2009 recession. The slide in exports came after poor readings for German manufacturing orders and factory output, and added to the gloom surrounding Europe’s economic outlook.

German property company IVG Immobilien has started looking for a buyer for its office and hotel building The Squaire as it seeks to offload legacy assets after emerging from insolvency last month, its chief executive said. IVG became insolvent after being weighed down by debt and cost overruns. The Squaire, which sits perched on top of the train station at Frankfurt airport, has been one of its most problematic assets. "We are taking The Squaire to the market. We have been in talks with potential investors since September," Ralf Jung told Reuters in an interview published on Thursday.

Factories in Britain and Germany suffered a sharp slowdown in September, raising fears that economic recovery is losing momentum against a backdrop of global political turmoil and the flagging eurozone economy, The Guardian reported. In the UK growth in manufacturing activity was the slowest in 17 months as demand for British goods waned at home and abroad. In Germany, long the powerhouse of the eurozone, the sector shrank for the first time in 15 months, hit by Russian sanctions over the Ukraine crisis and general malaise across the economies of the currency bloc.

German prosecutors said Monday that they had filed criminal charges against the former chief executive and the former management board of Hypo Real Estate, accusing them of misleading investors in 2008 during what proved to be the country’s most costly bank failure, the International New York Times DealBook blog reported. Georg Funke, the former chief executive of the Munich-based lender, and seven former management board members are accused of misleading investors about risks facing the bank ahead of its collapse in September 2008.

Infineon Technologies AG and its former memory chip unit Qimonda AG on Wednesday reached a partial out- of-court settlement over an insolvency dispute, The Wall Street Journal reported. Under the agreement, German semiconductor company Infineon will pay 260 million euros ($334 million) to the bankrupt unit. Infineon said it would pay a settlement of €135 million and acquire all patents of Qimonda for an additional €125 million. The partial settlement is covered by provisions already recognized and Infineon will pay from existing liquidity, it said.

Netzoptiker, the Limburg-based mail order glasses company backed by Rocket Internet and Omnes Capital, has filed for insolvency with the German Handelsregister. A filing at Handelsregister, Germany's version of Companies House, states that a provisional liquidator has been appointed. Rocket holds a 42% stake in the online store according to Handelsregister. News of the filing comes at a time when start-up accelerator Rocket Internet, itself backed by Investment AB Kinnevik, is preparing its imminent listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

PV group Solon has announced that two Germany-based units will file for insolvency, as its centre of gravity continues to shift away from Europe under parent company Microsol. Solon announced the start of insolvency proceedings in Berlin for its Solon Modules GmbH and Solon Energy GmbH subsidiaries, Recharge reported. The move came as the company appointed Rolando Gennari as its new European head, with a remit to reposition Solon “as a leading player on the continent”. UAE-based Microsol bought Solon – one of the pioneers of the German solar industry – in 2012 after the latter went bankrupt.

German property group IVG Immobilien has emerged from insolvency following a sweeping restructuring and a debt-for-equity swap and is now considering options for a merger or stock market listing, the company said on Tuesday, Reuters reported. A local German court declared the insolvency proceeding completed, the company said in a statement, after the co-owner of London's landmark "Gherkin" tower began proceedings in 2013. IVG later delisted its shares. "Following the complete financial and operating restructuring, the company is solid again and ready for the capital markets ...

The board of Germany's department store chain Karstadt is meeting to agree on a rescue plan for the loss-making retailer. About 17,000 employees are hoping the group's new owner will turn around their fortunes, Deutsche Welle reported. For the first time since taking over Karstadt Group in August, Austrian billionaire investor Rene Benko will chair a meeting of the chain's supervisory board. The main item on the meeting's agenda is purportedly a restructuring blueprint drafted by interim chief executive Miguel Müllenbach.

Parliament here began debating Germany's first balanced federal budget since 1969 on Tuesday, seven years after the collapse of Lehman Brothers sent Europe's largest economy into a tailspin, dashing the government's previous attempt at balancing its books, The Wall Street Journal reported. Yet concern is rising in Berlin that a budget partly meant as an example for more profligate members of the euro-zone could, once more, face last-minute derailment amid mounting geopolitical risks and mixed economic signals in Europe's powerhouse.