German investor sentiment continued on its recovery path in February, the ZEW economic research institute said today.
The institute's economic sentiment index rose to 28.1 from 16.9 in January, posting its fifth consecutive monthly increase.
A Reuters poll had pointed to a February reading of 22.0.
The assessment of the economic situation in Germany also continued to improve, rising for the fourth month in a row.
The index rose to -45.1 points, up 13.5 points compared to the previous month, but still in negative territory.
Although the current situation is still assessed as relatively unfavourable, a large fraction of the survey participants expects the economic situation to improve in six months' time, ZEW President Achim Wambach said.
"As in the previous month, the increase in expectations can be traced back to higher profit expectations in the energy- and export-oriented sectors, as well as the consumer-related parts of the economy," he added.
