Leading economic institutes now expect the German economy to contract in 2024, sources told dpa on Tuesday. In an official report for the German Economy Ministry due to be published on Thursday, the group of influential organizations is to warn that gross domestic product (GDP) is likely to drop by 0.1% this year. In the spring they had seen a marginal 0.1% increase. The biannual study includes contributions from top think tanks such as the Munich-based ifo Institute and the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW). Researchers do still expect German economic output to be positive in 2025,…