Germany’s gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 0.3% in 2023, according to preliminary figures from the Federal Statistical Office, confirming that Europe’s largest economy spent the year in a recession. The agency estimated on Monday that the economy also had a poor finish to the year and shrank by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. “Overall economic development faltered in Germany in 2023 in an environment that continues to be marked by multiple crises,” Ruth Brand, the head of the agency, said on Monday. Germany had seen GDP growth of 1.8% in 2022 but slowed considerably during the past year. Con…