German exports post steepest drop in nearly 3 years

German exports posted their steepest fall in nearly three years in December, data showed on Wednesday in a sign Europe's largest economy is weakening in the wake of the euro zone debt crisis.

    Data from the Federal Statistics Office showed seasonally-adjusted exports fell 4.3 percent, the steepest decline since the height of the financial crisis in January 2009. The median forecast in a Reuters poll was for a drop of just 1.0 percent.

    The trade surplus narrowed to 13.9 billion euros from a revised 14.9 billion euros the month prior. That compared with a consensus forecast for a dip to 14.0 billion euros in a Reuters poll of economists.

    Imports fell unexpectedly, by 3.9 percent. They had been forecast to rise 0.6 percent.