German retail sales post unexpected 1.8% rise in March

German retail sales posted a higher-than-expected by 1.8% rise in March compared with the previous month, according to official data published on Tuesday.

The change compared with a forecast 1.1% rise.

In a separate announcement, the federal statistics office said March import prices were 3.6% year on year but rose 0.4% on February.

Export prices fell 1% year on year and were up slightly by 0.1% on a monthly basis.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com