BERLIN (Reuters) - German exports rose at their fastest pace this year in May, boosting expectations that Europe's largest economy will pull off stronger growth in the second quarter after expanding modestly in the first.
Seasonally-adjusted exports climbed by 1.7 percent on the month while imports increased by 0.4 percent, widening the trade surplus to 22.8 billion euros, data from the Federal Statistics Office showed on Thursday.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected exports to slip by 0.8 percent and imports to rise by 0.9 percent.