Annual inflation in Germany edged down to 2 percent in January, preliminary data released by the statistics office showed according to dpa. The decline brought the inflation rate in Europe's biggest economy back into line with the European Central Bank's limit for eurozonecountries of 2 per cent. Annual consumer prices in Germany stood at 2.1 per cent in December. The January slide in inflation was in line with analysts' forecasts. However, lowering inflation is also a sign that economic growth is slowing. The German economy is widely thought to have slowed sharply in the run-up to the end of the year in the wake of the debt crisis gripping the 17-member eurozone.
