Germany is one of the anchors of the world economy, and at $3.4 trillion annual GDP, it accounts for nearly 28% of the Eurozone economy. Under Angela Merkel's steady leadership, the country has provided stability to the euro area while taking advantage of a weaker euro over the past couple of years to ramp up on exports. The country has the highest current account balance as a percentage of GDP among the world's 15 largest economies. A high current account balance indicates that a country is a competitive exporter with a high domestic savings rate.

Although Germany has encountered some speed bumps, given the country's dynamic economy, the German locomotive should continue to steam ahead in 2014.