The German economic upswing has become more broad-based in recent months, the Deutsche Bundesbank said in its monthly bulletin published Monday. "Since mid-year, the cyclical recovery in Germany has been going forward speedily and has found a somewhat broader basis," the German central bank said in its monthly bulletin for December. In the third quarter, when German gross domestic product expanded 0.6% on the quarter adjusted for seasonal and calendar effects, both domestic and foreign demand contributed equally to the expansion. With regard to foreign trade, the Bundesbank noted exports have overcome a "summer depression." But the weakness of private household demand still weighs on growth, the central bank noted. In particular, rising energy costs had a negative impact, the Bundesbank said. At the same time, the bank showed some cautious optimism with regard to developments in the construction sector: "The development in the last months could point to a stabilization in the construction sector, although on a relatively low level." The Bundesbank also noted the robust trend on the labor market in the last few months. However, the central bank said developments in November, when the number of unemployed decreased by a seasonally-adjusted 53,000 on the month, reflected at least in part mild weather conditions, rather than the impact of economic recovery.