Akhir 05 , 1432 H. / March 10, 2011 -- German exports posted a surprise 1-per-cent fall in January after two consecutive increases, the nation's statistics office said Thursday, according to dpa. But a 2.3-per-cent month-on-month increase in imports helped to underline the growing strength of the nation's domestic economy and to cancel a 2.6-per-cent fall during December. The slump in exports in January followed a 0.5-per-cent rise in December. Analysts had predicted exports would gain 0.6 in the first month of the year. Germany is the world's second biggest exporter after China. German export have been the key driving force behind the nation's rapid rebound from recession. But ING Bank economist Carsten Brzeski insisted that the drop in exports was just a temporary setback. "Made in Germany remains a bestseller," he said. "In the coming months, this quality feature will probably be the strongest asset to weather new storms." The increase in imports is likely to add to expectations that the nation's recovery from recession is broadening. The new data showed the seasonally adjusted trade surplus narrowing to 11.8 billion euros (16.4 billion dollars) from 14.1 billion euros in December. Both year-on-year exports and imports climbed by about 24 per cent in January. This brought the total value of German exports to 78.5 billion euros. Imports stood at 68.4 billion euros. Despite the debt crisis gripping parts of the 17-member eurozone, German exports to the nation's key trading partners in the currency bloc jumped by 18.8 per cent in January compared with the same month last year. Imports leapt by 17.1 per cent. German exports to non-European nations, which include the world's leading emerging economies as well as the United States, gained 30.8 per cent year on year in January. Imports climbed by 31.6 per cent.
