German business confidence declined to its lowest level in nearly six years in April, driven by the supply chain disruptions and energy shocks caused by the war in the Middle East, survey data from the ifo Institute revealed Friday.
The business climate index dropped to 84.4 in April from 86.3 in March. The reading hit the lowest since May 2020 but remained above economists' forecast of 85.7.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Economic News
What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
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.