<p>BERLIN — German investors are increasingly optimistic about the country’s economy as the latest surge of new coronavirus infections seems to be slowing, a closely-watched survey showed Tuesday.</p>
<p>The Mannheim-based ZEW institute said its indicator of economic expectations for Germany over the next six months increased 13.7 points in May over the previous month to a reading of 84.4, the highest value since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
<p>The last time the indicator was at a higher level was in February 2000.</p>
<p>The increase came after an unexpected drop in April when new daily cases of coronavirus infection were much higher.</p>
<p>Germany’s disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, reported 6,125 newly confirmed cases on Tuesday, compared to 17,855 new cases the same day a month ago. </p>
<p>Germany has also recently posted some encouraging economic data, with factory production and exports increasing strongly and unemployment holding steady despite ongoing pandemic restrictions. </p>
<p>“The slowing down of the third COVID-19 wave has made financial market experts even more optimistic,” said ZEW head Achim Wambach. “The experts expect a significant economic upswing in the coming six months.”</p>
<p>Investors were also more positive about Germany’s current economic situation, with that assessment rising 8.7 points to minus 40.1 on ZEW’s scale. </p>
<p>The survey was based on the responses from 188 analysts to a poll conducted from May 3 through May 10. </p>
