Germany Beats Estimates on Industrial Output

Yesterday’s report on factory orders in Germany was unexpectedly low as exports to other eurozone countries fell by -8.6%. Today, the country’s Economy Ministry reported that industrial output rose more than expected in January, up 1.6% month-over-month, much better than…

Published March 8, 2012, 7:12am ET · 1 min read

Yesterday’s report on factory orders in Germany was unexpectedly low as exports to other eurozone countries fell by -8.6%. Today, the country’s Economy Ministry reported that industrial output rose more than expected in January, up 1.6% month-over-month, much better than the forecast for 1.1% growth.

What today’s numbers seem to indicate is that the country’s domestic economy is strengthening and that Germany is well-positioned to avoid a significant recessionary downturn regardless of falling demand for its products from its eurozone neighbors.

The eurozone economy is expected to contract by -0.3% this year, while Germany’s economy is forecast to rise by 0.6%. That’s well below 2011 growth of 3% and much of the decrease is due to the austerity measures being imposed on other eurozone nations, which leaves them with less cash to spend on imported goods from Germany.

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Paul Ausick

Paul Ausick has been writing for 247Wallst.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.

He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.

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