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German trade surplus narrows, factory output decreases in March

Xinhua, May 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

The increase of German imports outpaced exports in March, narrowing Germany's trade surplus, while factory output in Europe's biggest economy also declined at the last month of the first quarter, official data showed Friday.

Adjusted for calendar and seasonal swings, exports from Germany climbed 1.2 percent in March compared with February, the German federal statistical office Destatis said. Meanwhile, imports increased by 2.4 percent month-on-month.

The adjusted balance of foreign trade thus fell to 19.3 billion euros (about 21.6 billion U.S. dollars) from 19.7 billion euros in February, Destatis said.

Another report from the statistical office showed that German industrial output in March declined by 0.5 percent from the previous month.

Analysts said the data suggested uncertainties in Germany's growth. While recent surveys found German business confidence standing at a 10-month high, others showed an uneven recovery of the German economy.

The German Federal Economy Ministry said in a statement that German manufacturing sector had a subdued start in 2015. Important industries such as mechanical engineering and automobile were lacking momentum, it added. Endit