German exports in January fell by the largest amount since August, dropping far more than forecast, RTE News reported. The figures put a damper on expectations that Europe’s largest economy would expand robustly in the first quarter after a strong end to last year. Seasonally-adjusted exports decreased by 2.1% on the month after a downwardly revised 2.8% gain in December, data from the statistics office showed. Imports slipped by 0.3%, missing the Reuters consensus forecast for a 0.5% gain. The trade surplus for January narrowed to €19.7b ($21.4b) from a revised €21.6b in December.
