问答题 Business is guarding against harder times. The biggest problem is the euro crisis, which is causing damage to Germany's trading partners. Industrial orders from the euro zone sharply declined by 12.1% in September. Demand will also be reduced from Asia and eastern Europe, which have been Germany's fastest-growing markets. On November 9th the government's advisory council of economic "wise men" predicted that growth would shrink from 3 % this year to 0.9% in 2012. Rising unemployment would jeopardise Mrs Merkel's chances for re-election in September 2013. Perhaps for that reason, most economists are betting that Germany will eventually do whatever is necessary to end the crisis. The surest way is for the European Central Bank to buy the debt of fragile countries like Italy, a notion that terrifies Germans, still impressed by their grandparents' memories of hyperinflation. If that is what the bank's new president decides to do, Mrs Merkel may not stand in the way.