Retail sales in Germany, the biggest European economy, gained a surprise 6.3 percent in June, provisional figures released Friday showed. Analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast a much more modest seasonally-adjusted increase of 1.7 percent from May, but economists agree that the indicator is volatile and subject to frequent revisions. A statement issued by the Destatis national statistics office also noted that the result was affected by a change in the sample of companies that were polled. The increase was still a sharp rebound from the month-on-month fall of 2.5 percent in May, however. The German economy, Europe’s largest, is weathering theregion’s sovereign-debt crisis as companies step up hiring to meet export orders, fueling consumer spending. The Bundesbank last month raised its 2011 growth forecast to 3.1 percent from 2.5 percent, citing stronger domestic demand.
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