Germany's ifo business confidence indicator climbed for the fourth month in a row in February, underpinned by stronger expectations, suggesting the resilience of the biggest euro area economy that may indeed avoid a modest recession. The ifo business confidence index rose to an eight-month high of 91.1 from 90.1 in January, survey data from the Munich-based ifo institute showed Wednesday. Economists had forecast a score of 91.4.
"The German economy is gradually working its way out of a period of weakness," ifo institute President Clemens Fuest said. The expectations measure of the survey rose to 88.5 from 86.4. That was the strongest reading since February last year. Economists had expected a score of 88.3. Meanwhile, the current situation index dropped for a second straight month, to 93.9 from 94.1 in the previous month. Economists had forecast a score of 95. Morale grew to its highest level since May 2002 in manufacturing, driven by companies' notably improved expectations.
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May 15, 2026 15:25 ET Apart from the confirmation of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair, the main news on the economics front this week included key price data from the U.S. and the first quarter economic growth figures from major economies. Both consumer prices and producer costs have started to reflect the effect of supply shocks due to the Middle East conflict. In Europe, GDP data was in focus, while inflation data from China dominated the news flow in Asia.