Feb reading of 28.1 vs expected 22.0
Current conditions up 4th month in a row
Data points to economic pickup analyst

BERLIN, Feb 21 Reuters German investor sentiment continued on its recovery path in February, the ZEW economic research institute said on Tuesday, as the economic outlook for the euro zone39;s largest economy has considerably brightened.

The institute39;s economic sentiment index rose to 28.1 from 16.9 in January, posting its fifth consecutive monthly increase. A Reuters poll had pointed to a February reading of 22.0.

As in the previous month, the increase in expectations can be traced back to higher profit expectations in the energy and exportoriented sectors, as well as the consumerrelated parts of the economy, ZEW President Achim Wambach said.

The assessment of the economic situation in Germany also continued to improve, rising for the fourth month in a row, though it remained in negative territory. The index rose to minus 45.1 points, up 13.5 points from the previous month.

Although the current situation is still assessed as relatively unfavourable, a large number of survey participants expect the economic situation to improve in six months39; time, Wambach said.

These data are not always reliable indicators for conditions in the wider economy, but they are now pointing to a pickup in economic activity and economic sentiment, said Claus Vistesen, chief euro zone economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.

According to Vistesen, these expected…