German business confidence brightens more than expected

BERLIN (AP) — A closely watched survey shows that German business confidence has improved more than expected in December. Managers in Europe’s biggest economy are taking a brighter view of both their current situation and the outlook for the next six months. The Ifo institute said Monday that its monthly confidence index rose to 88.6 points from 86.4 in November. Economists had expected an increase to 87.5. The December improvement in overall sentiment was the third in a row, but it marked the first time that businesses have been more positive about their current situation after six months of increasing pessimism.