Barry
apparently it's not quite so clear cut:
"However, the outlook remains mixed for Germany's export-led economy, where success hinges on global demand. Although recent figures suggested an improvement in exports and industrial orders, both key indicators of the country's economic health, the economy as a whole is expected to contract sharply in 2009. Second-quarter GDP still trails 7.1 percent behind the same period last year.
Countering the tentative signs of a recovery, German unemployment is on the rise and retail sales reflect weaker domestic demand. At the same time, more and more firms are going bust. In May, the number of bankruptcies increased by almost 15 percent, compared with the same month in 2008. Making the headlines, Germany's high-profile fashion house Escada, filed for bankruptcy protection this week, in part due to slumping global demand for its high-end garments".
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,642203,00.html
One swallow does not a summer make!
Mark