31.   German shares rose, led by Siemens AG and Hoechst AG, as a rising dollar boosted expectations of increased German export earnings.

32.   He also said another explanation was the higher proportion of imported components in German exports.

33.   Indeed, German exports are in many ways the brightest part of the economy right now.

34.   It also makes German exports more expensive than competing products priced in cheaper currencies.

35.   It could also raise the cost of German exports by strengthening the mark against the dollar.

36.   Its drop raised the dollar cost of German exports on the world market, robbing the economy of a key prop.

37.   Many economists have scaled back their forecasts for German growth as they expect the Asian crisis to hit German exports at some point and slow growth.

38.   Nowitzki is hardly the first German export.

39.   So Schroeder is left hoping for a rapid American recovery to help German exports, and for Merkel and Stoiber to inflict serious damage on each other.

40.   Some two-thirds of German exports are destined for other European countries.