BERLIN German industrial production increased for the third consecutive month in July, but the gain was relatively modest following bigger gains in the immediate aftermath of this spring's shutdowns, official data showed Monday.
Production rose 1.2% compared with the previous month, the Economy Ministry said.
That followed gains of 7.4% in May and 9.3% in June as activity in Germany, Europe's biggest economy, recovered from big drops in March and April.
The ministry said that production has returned to nearly 90% of its level in last years fourth quarter, before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Virus-related difficulties in countries outside the eurozone including the U.S., Britain and several emerging economies likely depressed German exports.