BERLIN - Investor sentiment in Germany slumped in September over concerns that sharply slowing growth in emerging markets would hurt the vital export sector of Europe's top economy, a leading survey said on Tuesday.
A September drop in the Germany's ZEW investor confidence index is the sixth consecutive monthly fall, far lower than the 18.6 points that analysts had been expecting.
The widely watched investor confidence index calculated by the ZEW economic institute sank 12.9 points from August to stand at just 12.1 points -- a level not seen for almost a year and far short of analysts' expectations.
"The weakening economic development in emerging markets dampens the economic outlook for Germany's export-oriented economy," said ZEW president Clemens Fuest.