China is top world exporter ahead of Germany

The German trade surplus climbed to 13.6 billion euros (20 billion dollars) in October, figures released on Wednesday by the national statistics office showed.Exports by the biggest European economy gained 2.5 percent from September to 74.6 billion euros, the Destatis service said.Germany, one of the world's leading exporters, has begun to rebound from its worst recession since World War II, thanks in part to renewed foreign demand for the country's industrial goods and chemicals.

The German trade surplus, a pillar of the eurozone economy, climbed to 13.6 billion euros (20 billion dollars) in October, figures released on Wednesday by the national statistics office showed.In September, the biggest European economy and one of the world's leading exporters had posted a surplus of 10.4 billion euros.German exports gained 2.5 percent from September to 74.6 billion euros, the Destatis service said.

German exports fell by 18.4 percent in 2009 from their level one year earlier, the sharpest drop since 1950, figures released on Tuesday by the national statistics office showed.The total value of exports came to 803.2 billion euros (1.1 trillion dollars), while imports fell by 17.2 percent to 667.1 billion euros, the Destatis office said.China overtook Germany last year as the world's leading exporter.

Germany's foreign trade surplus slumped by nearly a third in September to 10.6 billion euros (15.8 billion dollars), figures released on Monday by the national statistics office showed.In September 2008 the trade surplus for Germany, one of the world's leading exporters, stood at 15.3 billion euros, the Destatis service said.Analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had expected a slightly higher surplus of 10.8 billion euros this time.

German exports dropped by an unexpectedly sharp 6.3 percent in January from the previous month, official statistics showed on Wednesday, though order levels suggest they should rise again soon.It was the first monthly fall since August in Europe's biggest economy, and came as imports grew by 6.0 percent, the Destatis statistics office said.That caused the German trade surplus for January to narrow to 8.0 billion euros (10.88 billion dollars) from 13.4 billion euros in December.Germany lost its title of leading global exporter to China last year.

German exports dropped by an unexpectedly sharp 6.3 percent in January from the previous month, official statistics showed on Wednesday, though order levels suggest they should rise again soon.It was the first monthly fall since August in Europe's biggest economy, and came as imports grew by 6.0 percent, the Destatis statistics office said.That caused the German trade surplus for January to narrow to 8.0 billion euros (10.88 billion dollars) from 13.4 billion euros in December.Germany lost its title of leading global exporter to China last year.

Germany reported soaring trade figures on Monday, suggesting that second-quarter growth in Europe's powerhouse economy could be the strongest since reunification 20 years ago.Germany, the world's second-biggest exporter after China, said that provisional figures exports rocketing 28.5 percent to 86.5 billion euros (115 billion dollars) in June, the highest level since October 2008.Imports soared 31.7 percent to hit a new record of 72.4 billion euros meanwhile, an all-time peak since statistics were first compiled in 1950, the Destatis statistics office added.

Germany posted a monthly export increase in February that partially offset a sharp drop in January, official data showed on Friday, benefitting from a rebound in global trade and a drop in the value of the euro.German exports jumped by 4.7 percent from January and recorded a yearly gain of 9.6 percent, the Destatis statistics office said.The country's trade surplus climbed to 12.6 billion euros (16.8 billion dollars) from 8.9 billion euros in February 2009, it added.