Overview
- Ifo’s export‑expectations index jumped from −2.8 to +9.6 in August, the institute said on Wednesday, the highest reading since February 2022 and the largest monthly rise since June 2020.
- Destatis revised Q2 GDP growth up to 0.3 percent and attributed the upward change mainly to stronger exports.
- Trade data show a clear regional shift with about 57 percent of German exports now bound for EU markets while exports to China fell about 12.2 percent in the first half of the year.
- Surveyed exporters in electrical equipment, data‑processing and electronic and optical goods report especially strong demand tied to digitalisation and AI projects, while paper and some metal subsectors remain weak.
- Economists and banks have raised 2026 growth forecasts toward roughly 1 percent, but they warn the rebound could be fragile because some gains reflect one‑off state orders or pre‑buying and private investment is still subdued.