© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A crane lifts a shipping container at the HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder on the River Elbe in Hamburg, Germany, March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
(Reuters) -German exports fell more than expected in December due to weak global demand, data from the federal statistics office showed on Monday.
Exports fell by 4.6% in December compared with the previous month. The result compared with a forecast 2.0% decrease in a Reuters poll.
Exports to EU countries fell by 5.5% compared with the previous month, while exports to countries outside the EU declined by 3.5%, the office said.
Imports fell by 6.7% from November, the federal statistics office reported, versus analysts’ expectations for a 1.5% decline. 
The foreign trade balance showed a calendar- and seasonally adjusted surplus of 22.2 billion euros ($23.92 billion) in December, versus a surplus of 20.8 billion euros the previous month.
In 2023, exports were down 1.4% compared with 2022, while imports to Germany experienced a much sharper decline of 9.7%.
($1 = 0.9280 euros)
This story originally appeared on Investing
