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Mechanical engineering: Good prospects for the next six months
Photo: Marijan Murat / dpa
The mood in the executive suite of German companies has improved further.
The Ifo business climate index for September rose to 93.4 points, as the Munich research institute announced on Thursday.
In August it was 92.5 points.
"The German economy is stabilizing despite the increasing number of infections," said Ifo President Clemens Fuest.
The companies assessed the current situation in comparison to the previous month "again more positively".
They also expected their businesses to recover further.
For the business climate index, the institute surveys around 9,000 companies every month.
They are asked to assess their current business situation and to estimate their expectations for the next six months.
In April, the index fell to a historic low of 74.2 points due to the corona crisis.
The recovery began in May.
In September the business climate in manufacturing improved "noticeably".
Significantly fewer companies assessed their current business situation poorly.
In addition, more industrial companies expected their economic situation to continue to improve.
According to the Ifo survey, the electronics industry in particular is optimistic.
Accordingly, the business climate brightened “significantly” in retail as well.
The dealers were noticeably more satisfied with their current business situation, and many of them expected a further recovery in the coming months.
In the construction industry, the current situation index rose to its highest level since March this year.
According to the Ifo, the outlook for the industry is still pessimistic - "but a little less than in August".
The Ifo index only fell in the service sector, but after the last four increases in a row, as the researchers emphasized.
This is due to less optimistic expectations.
However, the companies assessed the current situation as slightly better.
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mik / AFP
