German investor confidence fell sharply in February, the ZEW institute's closely-watched survey showed Tuesday, reflecting fears for Europe's largest economy at a time of global political uncertainty.

The index for investors' future expectations fell by 6.2 points to 10.4 points last month, ZEW said in a statement.

Analysts surveyed by Factset had forecast a shallower fall to 14.9 points in February from 16.6 points in January.