Business confidence in Germany strengthened modestly in February due to less pessimism regarding the outlook, mainly in the services and trade sectors, while expectations sunk to their lowest in over three decades in the construction industry, survey data from the ifo Institute showed Friday.
The ifo business climate index rose to 85.5 from 85.2 in January. Economists had forecast a score of 85.5.
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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.