German manufacturing climbs to three-month high in November

Manufacturing activity in Germany reached its highest level in three months, a widely-followed survey showed on Tuesday.

Markit's purchasing managers' index (PMI) for manufacturing rose from 52.1 in October to 52.9 in November, exceeding expectations for a 52.6 reading.

According to Markit, the figures were encouraging as they showed the Eurozone’s largest economy had shrugged off the Volkswagen emissions scandal and a slowdown in emerging markets.

"For now, it seems as if Germany's goods-producing sector is largely unaffected by the VW emissions scandal," said Markit economist Oliver Kolodseike.

"It is especially encouraging to see that new export business rose at the strongest rate in 21 months, despite the growth slowdowns seen in emerging markets.”

Markit added that a number of the companies surveyed reported an increase in foreign demand, boosted by the recent decline in the euro, which hit a seven-month low against the dollar late in November.