Positief signaal voor Duitse economie

German exports (GRBTEXMM) rose more than economists forecast in April, adding to signs that Europe’s largest economy is gaining strength.

Exports, adjusted for working days and seasonal changes, jumped 1.9 percent from March, when they gained 0.5 percent, the Federal Statistics Office in Wiesbaden said today. That’s the strongest increase since May 2012. Economists predicted a gain of 0.1 percent, according to the median forecast of 17 economists in a Bloomberg News survey. Imports advanced 2.3 percent in April.

German business confidence rose for the first time in three months in May after an unusually long winter delayed a recovery in Europe’s largest economy. At the same time, factory orders dropped in April and industrial production probably stagnated. The Bundesbank, which last month said it expects the economy to gather pace in the current quarter, will publish new forecasts today.