Exports were up a seasonally adjusted 0.9% over the month, following a 1.5% increase in February.  German firms had the most success in markets outside the European Union, where they recorded growth of 6.1% compared with the year before.  The seasonally-adjusted trade surplus remained flat at 13.7bn euros from a revised 13.7bn in February.

While exports to countries outside of the EU grew, exports to countries in the crisis-hit eurozone shrank by 3.6%.  Imports were up 1.2%, data from the Federal Statistics Office showed.

Credit: BBC/Reuters/ADP