Lowest value in two years: Ifo business climate index falls significantly

Cologne city center

In retail, the indicator has once again fallen significantly.

(Photo: IMAGO/Future Image)

Berlin The mood in the executive floors of the German economy deteriorated more than expected in July. The Ifo business climate index fell to 88.6 points from the revised 92.2 points in the previous month, as the Munich Ifo Institute announced on Monday in its survey of around 9,000 managers. This is the lowest value since June 2020.

Economists polled by Reuters had only expected a decline to 90.2 points. “High energy prices and the threat of gas shortages are having a negative impact on the economy. Germany is on the threshold of recession,” said Ifo President Clemens Fuest. Executives were more skeptical than recently about their business situation and prospects.

According to the Bundesbank, the economy barely moved in the spring given the surge in inflation and the uncertainty about future energy supplies. These factors also weighed on the German economy in the summer. According to a survey by S&P Global, this plummeted in July.

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