German business confidence rises for a sixth straight month, Ifo says
Germany's Ifo business climate index rose to 90.2 in October from 89.9 in September, its sixth consecutive monthly rise, as firms grew more optimistic about the outlook.
German business morale improved more than expected in October, extending its recovery to a sixth consecutive month, Reuters reported, citing the Ifo Institute’s monthly survey.
The Ifo business climate index rose to 90.2 in October from 89.9 in September, Reuters reported. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast an increase to 90.0.
“The economic recovery is continuing,” Ifo president Clemens Fuest said.
The improvement was driven by expectations: the index for economic expectations rose to 91.6 in October from 90.4 in September, while firms assessed their current situation as slightly worse, with that index falling to 88.8 from 89.5.
It is the highest reading since spring 2023, the survey coverage reported. The release comes as the German government has raised its forecast for economic growth to 1.3% in 2026 and 1.1% in 2027, up from 0.5% and 0.9% in its April forecasts.
Growth data for the third quarter will be published on Friday. Economists polled by Reuters expect 0.1% quarter-on-quarter growth, while Capital Economics expects the German economy to have stalled in the third quarter before returning to growth in the fourth quarter.
Sources
- Reuters via Devdiscourse: “German business sentiment rises for the sixth consecutive month, Ifo says”, 26 October 2026 — https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/3997352-german-business-sentiment-rises-for-the-sixth-consecutive-month-ifo-says?amp
- Ifo Institute: “ifo Business Climate Rises (October 2026)” — https://www.ifo.de/en/data-and-news
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