A closely watched index has shown that business confidence in Germany has risen slightly from record lows.
After quizzing 7,000 German companies in manufacturing, constructiion, wholesaling and retail, the Ifo institute said its indicator rose to 83.7 points in April, from an all-time low of 82.2 points in March.
The Ifo index appeared to offer a small ray of hope following a week of dire forecasts for Europe's biggest economy.
A group of top economic institutes said yesterday that the country's economy was poised to shrink by a record 6% this year.
