German exports fall unexpectedly in August

German exports fell 0.8 percent in August from July, adjusted for calendar and seasonal effects, while imports rose 0.9 percent, the federal statistics office Destatis said Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had expected exports to rise.

The trade surplus narrowed to 19.5 billion euros from 21.6 billion euros in July. Exports to the United States fell 6.3 percent on the month.

“Trade is where German resilience is faltering,” said Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro at ING.