Germany's March economic sentiment index falls to -0.5

Germany's economic sentiment index for March fell precipitously to minus 0.5, from 58.3 in February, according to data of the Leibniz Center for European Economic Research (ZEW) published on Tuesday.

The sentiment has been severely impacted by the escalating conflict in the Middle East and the resulting surging energy prices, said the research institute.

Almost all economic sectors in Germany have yet to show any improvement this month, and energy-intensive industries, such as the chemical industry and the pharmaceutical industry, have been hit particularly hard.

ZEW President Achim Wambach warned that the rising inflation heightens the risk of a slowdown in Germany's economic recovery.

Germany's March economic sentiment index falls to -0.5

Japan's exports to the United States fell 8 percent year-on-year in February to around 1.75 trillion yen (about 11 billion U.S. dollars), marking the third consecutive monthly decline, according to data released by its Finance Ministry on Wednesday.

By category, automobile exports dropped 14.8 percent, auto parts declined 15.9 percent, and pharmaceuticals plunged 58.1 percent, indicating the ongoing impact of tariff measures imposed by the United States.

In addition, Japan posted a trade surplus of 57.3 billion yen in February, a significant year-on-year decrease of 89.8 percent.

Japan's exports to US fall for 3rd straight month