German Import Slump Highlights Messy Economic Outlook: Chart

Germany’s trade surplus -- oft-criticized by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration -- widened in August, but not because of an export boom. While overseas sales edged lower for a second month, imports snapped a four-month run of gains and tumbled 2.7 percent, the most in more than a year. Latest reports have shown factory orders rebounding and industrial output shrinking -- a messy picture that prompted ING-Diba economist Carsten Brzeski to describe Europe’s growth engine as “stuttering” and JPMorgan Chase’s Greg Fuzesi to say his “sense” is that it’s doing well, despite “very noisy” data.