Akhir 20, 1432, March 25, 2011, SPA -- The mood of German business in March dropped slightly after a surprise rise the previous month, a key indicator released Friday in Munich showed, according to dpa. The Ifo institute in Munich said its closely-watched business climate index dropped to 111.1 points, ending nine consecutive monthly increases for the most important forward-looking indicator for the German economy. In February the index reached 111.3 points, its highest point in 42 years. "The economic signals are still switched to green," said Ifo chief Hans-Werner Sinn, after most analysts had expected a stronger drop in the index. The slight drop resulted from dampened expectations for the next six months, which dropped 1.4 points to 106.5, Ifo said. The index is compiled from a survey of the expectations of some 7,000 companies across the German business landscape. Around half of them reportedly reached Ifo after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami struck, triggering a nuclear disaster. dpa fin
