Germany's exports grew the most in four months in February, while growth in imports eased notably, data from Destatis showed on Monday.
Exports grew 1.8 percent month-on-month in February, following nil growth in January. This was the fastest growth since November.
At the same time, imports advanced 0.7 percent on a monthly basis, slower than the 5.0 percent increase in January.
As a result, the trade surplus increased to EUR 17.7 billion from EUR 16.2 billion in January. However, this was below economists' forecast of EUR 18.4 billion.
On a yearly basis, exports decreased 1.8 percent after a 1.3 percent fall. At the same time, growth in imports slowed to 3.1 percent from 7.5 percent.
Most German exports in February went to the United States. Shipments to the United States climbed 8.5 percent from January. By contrast, imports from the United States decreased 3.9 percent.