Despite growing global economic uncertainty and the strong euro, German exports rebounded in June to report a bigger- than-forecast 4.2-per-cent increase, data released Thursday showed, DPA reported. The surprise increase in Germany's seasonally adjusted exports in June came after a sharp 3.4-per-cent fall in May as strong demand from the world's leading emerging economies helped to boost Europe's biggest economy's key export machine. Economists had predicted that the data, which was released by Germany's statistics office, would show exports posting a more modest gain of about 1.8 per cent. The June rise resulted in Germany's trade surplus widening to a record 19.7 billion euros. Export posted an annual 7.9-per-cent rise in June. Orders to countries outside the European Union rose by an annual 12 per cent in June as nations in Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe help to power Germany's exports. The jump in exports also came at a time of growing concern about the outlook for Germany's growth rate as the world economy loses momentum in the face of the fall-out from the global financial market crisis and high energy costs. Data to be released next week is expected to show German economic growth contracting during the second-quarter after the nation's economy chalked up the fastest growth rate rate in 12 years during the first three months of the year. German key factory orders fell sharply in June, the Ministry of Economics and Technology said Wednesday, dropping by a price-and- seasonally adjusted 2.9 per cent. Moreover, Thursday's data showed the country's imports slipped by a surprise 0.1 per cent month on month in June. German exports to its partners in the 15-member eurozone rose by an annual 4.7 per cent in June and by 5.9 per cent to the 27 members of the European Union.
