German exports set to grow by 4.0% next year

German exports could grow by 4.0 percent next year, according to a new forecast by the DIHK federation of chambers of commerce published in the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Monday. "German exports will be able to hold their own in a difficult economic environment," DIHK economist Volker Treier told the newspaper. DIHK's forecast is therefore slightly more optimistic than that of the German industry association (BDI), which recently predicted an increase in exports in 2013 of "at least 3.0 percent". Germany is one of the world's biggest exporters, helping to keep Europe's top economy growing this year despite the turmoil resulting from the eurozone debt crisis.