This paper uses comprehensive high-quality panel data from official statistics for
exporting enterprises to investigate the micro-structure of the recent export recovery
in 2010 in manufacturing industries in Germany after the great recession of 2008/
2009. Almost all of the increase in exports was due to positive changes of exports in
firms that continue to export (i. e. at the so-called intensive margin) while the increase
of exports due to export starters (at the so-called extensive margin) was tiny. It is
shown that very large firms played a decisive role in shaping the export recovery.
These findings are remarkably symmetric to the results from an analysis of the great
export collapse of 2008/09.
