German consumer confidence has fallen for the third month running, as shoppers in the eurozone's largest economy worry about high unemployment, anaemic growth and the prospect of elections in September.

The GfK consumer confidence index for July dropped more than expected, to 3.5 from 4.3 the previous month. “German consumers are still unable to imagine how safely they can plan ahead, and what additional costs or rebates they can reckon on,” said GfK researcher Rolf Bürkl.