Anybody who wants to know how the Germany economy is running need only count the number of customers Nikolaus Bode has.
The formula for working this out is fairly simple. If the pawnbroker in the small western city of Siegburg is not very busy, the whole country is doing well. But if people are breaking down his doors, that indicates some kind of crisis.
In September this year, Bode is so busy he can hardly think. That means Germany’s in a mess. “A pawnbroker is an indicator,” Bode told DW. “People come here when there is a lot of unemployment or severe economic problems.”
