Germany sees higher state spending cushioning economy

BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government expects state spending to rise this year, providing much-needed impetus for a slowing economy, an Economy Ministry document seen by Reuters on Thursday showed.

Federal investments are expected to rise to 154.5 billion euros(132.56 billion pounds)in the 2018-2021 legislative period. State spending will increase this year on higher social welfare stipends and pensions, the document showed.

(Reporting by Markus Wacket and Christian Kraemer; Writing by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Paul Carrel)