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Closed restaurants in Rüdesheim, Hessen
Photo: Arne Dedert / dpa
The corona pandemic is making itself felt in the balance sheets of many companies: around 40 percent complain about a decline in their equity.
This is the result of a survey by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) among 13,000 companies.
Around 27 percent are even struggling with liquidity bottlenecks - despite government aid.
Across all industries, every eleventh company is currently threatened with bankruptcy, 80 percent of which are smaller companies with fewer than 20 employees.
The DIHK also sees industrial companies hard hit, as they often have to make advance payments for cost-intensive products and high-tech investments.
"If the scope for pre-financing is too narrow in the current situation, there is a risk that companies will have to struggle to survive even despite the existing demand for their products," writes the organization.
In addition, the bottleneck restricts new investments in the upswing phase.
It would help many companies if they could offset the current losses more than before with profits from previous years, according to the DIHK.
In addition, a special fund could be created for companies with sales of 10 to 50 million euros.
State funds could flow into it, but also funds from private investors.
German companies are expecting an uncomfortable autumn
Despite the prospect of rapid vaccinations against the corona virus, the business climate in German companies had recently clouded over.
The Ifo business climate index fell in November to 90.7 points from 92.5 points in the previous month, as the Munich Institute announced.
The managers were thus far more pessimistic about the outlook for their businesses.
"The second Corona wave interrupted the recovery of the German economy," said Ifo President Clemens Fuest.
The German economy had recently recovered after the Corona kink in the spring and grew by 8.5 percent in the third quarter.
The economy is now threatened with a new setback due to the foreseeable extension of the shutdown into December.
"Autumn will be uncomfortable for the German economy," said Ifo expert Klaus Wohlrabe.
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