GE ifo Business Climate

To quote Andreas Brehme, the all-too-early-departed scorer of Germany’s winning goal in the 1990 World Cup final: “if you’ve got s*** on your boot, you’ve got s*** on your boot.” A quote that applies to many situations in life, and certainly to the German economy right now. At the end of 2025, the economy finally seemed to be escaping its endless stagnation, with growth returning in the fourth quarter, rising industrial orders, and the expectation of billions in defence and infrastructure investment. An upturn was within sight until, ...

German ⁠business morale fell in March, ​a survey showed on Wednesday, as the Iran war made companies ⁠grow ⁠more pessimistic about the future. The Ifo institute ​said its business climate index fell to 86.4 in March ​compared to a revised 88.4 the ⁠previous ⁠month. Analysts polled by ⁠Reuters ​had forecast a larger decrease, to ​86.1. "The war ⁠in Iran has, for the time being, ended hopes of an economic ⁠upswing," said Ifo's president, Clemens Fuest. The decline in ⁠the headline index was due to significantly more pessimistic ...

German business morale rose slightly more than expected in February, reaching its highest level since August and pointing to the German economy finally turning a corner. The Ifo institute said on Monday its business climate index rose to 88.6 in February compared to 87.6 the previous month. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a rise to 88.4. "The German economy is showing the first signs of a recovery," said Ifo's president Clemens Fuest. Companies were more satisfied with their current business situation, with the index rising ...

German business morale remained unchanged from the previous month in January, a new survey showed today. The Ifo institute said its business climate index remained at 87.6 this month, the same as in December. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a slight rise to 88.2. "The German economy is starting the new year without momentum," said Ifo's President Clemens Fuest. Assessments of the current situation were revised slightly upwards, with the indicator rising to 85.7 in January from 85.6 a month earlier. However, expectations ...

For the German economy, the year has ended as it started: with a disappointing Ifo index reading. Germany’s leading indicator came in at 87.6 in December, from 88.1 in November. This is the lowest level since May this year. Admittedly, despite today’s drop, the absolute level is still higher than at the start of the year (when it was 85.1). While the current assessment component remained unchanged at 85.6, expectations weakened to 89.7, also the lowest level since May. Thanks for nothing The German economy has been on an emotional ...