Investor Confidence in Germany Falls (EWG, GERJ)

Since the depths of the Eurozone Crisis, Germany has emerged as one of the few bright spots in region. The nation's export-driven economy has done quite well as the euro continues to fall. However, investors in the region may want to take notice of a new survey. A report compiled by ZEW Institute showed that German investor confidence has fallen more sharply than expected in the wake of the political turmoil in the Arab world and Japan's devastating earthquake. The group's proprietary index, which measures investors' economic outlook for the next six months, dropped to 7.6 points for April, down from 14.1. ZEW said a factor in the fall in confidence was the fact that "the current boom doesn't leave much room for a further improvement." Investors in the iShares MSCI Germany Index

and Market Vectors Germany Small-Cap ETF

may want to reevaluate their positions over the next few weeks. Disclosure: Author is Long EWG