German consumer confidence is set to rebound in April, a key survey released Wednesday showed.

The Nuremberg-based GfK market research institute said its forward-looking consumer confidence index is expected to rise to 4.4 points next month from March's downward revision to 4.3 points.

But it fell short of the 4.5 points predicted by economists.

"The decline in the consumer climate is forecast to end this April," the institute said.

"In the absence of a great price shock caused by the rise in the VAT rate, the uncertainty relating to the potential risk of inflation appears to have evaporated in the mind of the consumer," it said.

The index gauging consumer sentiment witnessed a string of monthly falls as the German government raised the VAT rate from 16 percent to 19 percent on Jan. 1.

The GfK said, "Sustained optimism in the economic outlook is also having a positive effect both on propensity to buy, as well income expectations."

Source: Xinhua