Germany's influential Ifo Institute published the results of its business climate survey on Tuesday, revealing a more positive outlook than a month ago.

The closely-watched barometer of the six-month outlook for companies in Europe's largest economy rose one point to 106.7, said the institute's president, Hans-Werner Sinn.

"The German economy is starting less skeptically in spring," Sinn said.

The Ifo index questions around 7,000 managers on how well they expect their businesses to do in the next six months. It also asks them to evaluate their current situation.

The uptick in March came after the index had dropped for three straight months, as concerns about the global economy weighed on businesses' outlook for the future.

cjc/hch (Reuters, dpa)