Germany's business confidence weakened for the third straight month in August to the lowest since mid-2020, signaling that the economy is sliding into a recession, survey results from the ifo Institute showed Thursday.
The business climate index fell to 88.5 points in August from 88.7 points in July. This was the lowest score since June 2020 but well above economists' forecast of 86.8.
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April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.