German business morale reaches highest level in two and a half years

German business morale rose in February to its highest level since July 2011, suggesting Europe's largest economy will grow faster in the first quarter after expanding only modestly last year. The Munich-based Ifo think tank's business climate index, based on a monthly survey of some 7,000 companies, increased to 111.3, beating the consensus forecast in a Reuters poll that it would hold steady ...