The German economy, Europe's largest, likely recovered slightly in the fourth quarter of 2018, avoiding a technical recession after negative growth in the third quarter, national statistics body Destatis said Tuesday.

"There were signs of a slight rebound at the end of the year," Destatis expert Albert Braakmann told reporters. The office will release its preliminary fourth quarter growth figure on February 14.

German output shrank by 0.2 percent from July to September, dragged down by problems in the crucial car sector.