(Reuters) – German exports rose on strong demand from countries outside the EU and industrial production rose more than expected in November, data from the statistics office showed on Thursday.
Exports in November increased by 2.1% compared to the previous month. The result compared with a 2.0% increase forecast in a Reuters poll.
While exports to EU countries fell by 1.7% on a monthly basis, exports to countries outside the EU increased by 6.9%.
Exports of goods to the US rose 14.5 percent compared to October, and exports to Great Britain rose 8.6 percent, while exports to China fell 4.2 percent, the statistics office showed.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 19.7 billion euros ($20.30 billion) in November, compared to 13.4 billion euros in October.
Meanwhile, German industrial production rose 1.5 percent in November compared to the previous month, the federal statistics office said Thursday. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected growth of 0.5 percent.
Industrial orders fell 5.4% in November from the previous month, the Federal Bureau of Statistics said on Wednesday, showing that demand remains weak.
(1 dollar = 0.9706 euros)
