FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- A closely watched indicator of German business optimism rose slightly in April from an already-high level the month before, another sign of strength for the eurozone's largest economy despite the continent's troubles over too much debt in some countries. The Ifo institute business climate index published Friday rose to 109.9 points from 109.8 the month before. It was the sixth straight month of increases and beat market expectations for a slight decline. Germany's economic prospects are looking up after the country went through a slow patch over the winter. The economy shrank 0.2 percent in the fourth quarter, but leading economic institutes this week raised their forecast for 2012 to 0.9 percent from a 0.8 percent prediction last fall. Continue reading →

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