Thin ice

Good afternoon. Here's what you need to know to end your day.

Germany narrowly avoided a recession last quarter. But the surprise 0.1% expansion does little to alter the fact that the economy is going through a tough period. The euro area fared little better, growing a spindly 0.2% in the third quarter. A sharp slowing in Japanese growth and the smallest increase in fixed-asset investment in at least two decades in China showed a global economy that's treading on thin ice.