Germany's industrial production and exports dropped further than expected in May, official figures showed today.
Industrial production in Europe's largest economy was down 1% in May compared with the previous month, the Economy Ministry said - worse than economists' prediction of a 0.5% decline.
That followed a 2% gain in April, revised upward from the initial reading of 1.8%.
Earlier, data showed that exports from Europe's biggest economy were down 2.4% on the month in May. Economists had forecast a flat reading.
Germany so far has weathered Europe's debt crisis relatively well - helped by its traditional export strength and a robust job market that is fueling domestic demand.
The German economy returned to modest growth in the first three months of 2013, after contracting during last year's final quarter, and analysts expect it to pick up further. A closely watched survey showed German business confidence edging higher in June.
But today's data - which come on top of an unexpected 1.3% drop in May's industrial orders - added a downbeat note.
The slip was led by a fall in demand from other countries in the 17-strong group of European Union counties that use the euro and from Germany itself. Germany's exports have been helped by strong demand from beyond Europe.
In year-on-year terms, exports were down 4.8% in May - led lower by a 9.6% in demand from other countries in the euro zone, while exports to countries outside the European Union were down only 1.6%.
Germany's BGA exporters association pointed to Europe's weakness and a soft patch in China to underline the importance of negotiations on an EU-US trade agreement that were starting Monday. It said that "everything should be done to ensure that this historic chance is not missed."
