1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Israel and the crisis in the Middle EastGerman coalition collapseUS election

Ifo

Ifo is an economic research institute based in Munich, Germany. Among other things, it releases a monthly business climate index for Germany gauging the mood among executives in Europe's powerhouse.

Skip next section All Content on this topic

All Content on this topic

Pictures of cranes at a construction site against the sunrise

Ifo lowers German growth forecast amid budget cutbacks

Experts are predicting lower growth in the German economy as the government slashes spending.
BusinessJanuary 24, 2024
Workers standing on a roof

German construction sector faces major slump in 2024

Germany's building industry is facing a downward trend coming on the heels of a more than decadelong boom.
BusinessJanuary 10, 2024
DW Business (Sendungslogo Composite)

DW Business

EU trade chief holds talks with Chinese Vice Premier - German business sentiment worsens in September
BusinessSeptember 25, 202312:35 min
Builders working on a residential construction site

Germany: New housing construction set to strongly decline

Europe's residential construction is to decline over the next two years due by to cost hikes, a new study shows.
BusinessJuly 19, 2023
Woman looking for products in a refrigerated shelf

Inflation in Germany has peaked, IFO researchers say

Prestigious think tank IFO says inflation in Germany is likely to start dropping soon — but food prices may still rise.
BusinessJuly 28, 2022
A stock broker sits on the trading floor of the stock market in Frankfurt, Germany

Germany's business confidence plummets

German businesses have been losing confidence in the current economic climate as growth prospects worsen.
BusinessJuly 25, 2022
Ifo President Clemens Fuest

Macron between a rock and a hard place

Ifo President Clemens Fuest tells DW the reelected French president will be strtuggling to fight rising inflation.
BusinessApril 25, 202202:32 min
Oil refinery

Oil prices rise as Russia invades Ukraine

Oil tops $100 a barrel after Russia invades Ukraine. What other effects are there for the energy industry?
BusinessFebruary 24, 202204:58 min
MIGDKosten

What causes rising prices?

Rising prices make shopping a lot harder. But why are prices rising at all?
BusinessFebruary 23, 202204:54 min
Sendung Global 3000 | Klimakonferenz Koppenhagen Protest | Green Investment

'We need to define what green investment means'

Karen Pittel from the ifo think tank says clear rules for green investing are missing, leaving the door open for fraud.
BusinessNovember 3, 202103:52 min
Containers lining up

Will Germany's trade policy change after the election?

Being an export-oriented nation, trade ties have always been key to Germany's economic success. Will the focus shift?
BusinessSeptember 28, 202104:34 min
external

Germany sees 'domestic recovery' accelerating

German business confidence has hit its highest level since the end of 2018 as the economic recovery is gaining momentum.
BusinessJune 24, 202101:53 min
A Euro sculpture in Frankfurt

Germans hoard billions due to lockdown curbs

The amount held in private bank accounts increased by €182 billion over the past year, the central bank said.
BusinessMarch 28, 2021
external

German business sentiment slumps on virus woes

German business sentiment slumps in January amid growing worries over an extension of the lockdown and slow government support. The dull mood is speading from services to manufacturing, says ifo president Clemens Fuest.
BusinessJanuary 25, 202103:24 min
external

German economy: 'Q4 contraction seems inevitable'

Economic output looks likely to hit negative territory in the final quarter, ifo President Clemens Fuest argues.
BusinessNovember 24, 202003:11 min
Production line in the Porsche Factory in Stuttgart

Germany poised for big economic recovery: Ifo

A new study found the country could be in for a big economic recovery next year.
BusinessMay 28, 2020
Red and white tape across a bike lane

German economy to contract by 6.6% in 2020

One of Germany's leading economic think tanks said the economy had already contracted by 1.9% in Q1.
BusinessApril 28, 2020
external

Recession fear: German business confidence hits record low

Ifo President Clemens Fuest comments on the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis.
BusinessApril 24, 202003:00 min
Shop front with blinds down, sign reading 'hairdresser'

Germany counts costs of economic shutdown

Trying to contain the coronavirus could prove costly. A new study warns of a hit of between 7.2 and 20.6% of GDP.
HealthMarch 23, 2020
Weathered German flag

German business confidence plunges further

Ifo's index has dropped for the 11th time this year, with business confidence is at its lowest since November 2012.
BusinessAugust 26, 2019
Chinese banknotes

West skeptical of investment from China: survey

Chinese investment is causing disquiet in a number of countries worldwide, reveals a new survey.
BusinessMay 20, 2019
E-Auto | VW Golf

Doubts over EV carbon credentials

Tesla Model 3 has a worse life-cycle carbon footprint than a Mercedes diesel car, Germany's ifo institute says.
BusinessApril 25, 2019
Employees at VW, Chemnitz

German business confidence falls a little

Business confidence in German boardrooms has decreased marginally, the latest monthly index by ifo reveals.
BusinessSeptember 24, 2018
Siemens worker

Business confidence in Germany improving

Businesses in Germany have grown more optimistic again about their future economic outlook.
BusinessAugust 27, 2018
Volkswagen being loaded onto freighter for exporter

Germany to set world's largest trade surplus

Germany's $299 billion surplus, however, is poised to attract criticism, both at home and internationally.
BusinessAugust 21, 2018
Frankfurt Reaktionen an der Börse US Wahlen 2016

Trade frictions darken German corporate mood

German business confidence dipped to its lowest level since March last year amid worries about global trade outlook.
BusinessJuly 25, 2018
external

Survey says German economic boom is over

German retailers have a pessimistic outlook, says the Ifo economic institute
BusinessJune 25, 201800:52 min
German engineers

German business morale drops

Current trade conflicts are not the only headache for executives, ifo researchers have said.
BusinessJune 25, 2018
Winter Daniel Kommentarbild App

Why Europe cannot be complacent about its economic success

Daniel Winter
Europe's economy is growing at its fastest in over a decade but there's no room for complacency.
BusinessApril 24, 2018
Female executive on the phone

Ifo index: new method, old message

The latest German business climate barometer has shown that confidence in the country's boardrooms keeps going down.
BusinessApril 24, 2018
German employees

German business morale deteriorating

Confidence among German businesses keeps falling, the most recent monthly survey by a German think tank has shown.
BusinessMarch 22, 2018
external

Brexit could cost Germany dearly

Top German economist Hans-Werner Sinn says Brussels is heading down the wrong path regarding Brexit.
BusinessMarch 13, 201809:42 min
Engine tester

German business confidence slips in February

German business confidence has dropped off a little above expectations.
BusinessFebruary 22, 2018
C&A Modekette

German business and consumer confidence booming

Despite uncertainty over the make-up of the next government, business and consumer confidence is high in Germany.
BusinessJanuary 25, 2018
Kanzleramt im Schnee

Ifo business index dips

Morale among German business leaders has fallen slightly amid uncertainty over the next German government coalition.
BusinessDecember 19, 2017
Steel worker at ThyssenKrupp

German business confidence going from record to record

Once again Ifo's latest business confidence index shows an upbeat mood among German executives.
BusinessNovember 24, 2017
US President Donald Trump

Trump hurting the global economy: survey

Almost three-quarters of global business analysts think US President Donald Trump is hurting the world economy.
BusinessNovember 7, 2017
Symbolbild Energiewende Deutschland Heizungskeller

Ifo index at all-time high

A closely-watched monthly survey of the German business climate hit its highest-ever level in October.
BusinessOctober 25, 2017
Deutschland Mainz Plakat der AfD bei Pegida Demo

'Investors could say goodbye to eastern Germany'

An unstable government would be bad for Germany’s standing as a business location, says head of Ifo think tank.
BusinessSeptember 25, 2017
Deutschland Geschäftsklima United Caps Produktionshalle in Schwerin

Business climate, Ifo, September,

In a foreboding of a tricky situation to form a new government, German business leaders' mood turned sour in September.
BusinessSeptember 25, 2017
DW Made in Germany - Yalcin

Turkish politics and implications

Erdal Yalcin from the Ifo Institute discusses Turkish politics and the economic consequences.
BusinessJuly 26, 201704:35 min
German engineer

German biz confidence at record high

The latest reading of a monthly index by Germany's Ifo institute shows the mood among German executives is excellent.
BusinessJuly 25, 2017
external

Interview: Erdal Yalcin, Deputy Director of the Ifo Center for International Economics

BusinessJuly 20, 201703:26 min
Sendung Made in Germany vom 18.07.2017 Fuest

Prospects for the German auto industry

Economist Clemens Fuest discusses e-mobility and the prospects for the German auto industry.
BusinessJuly 19, 201705:38 min
Symbolbild Maschinenbau-Bestellungen brechen Ende 2016 ein

German business confidence 'jubilant'

German firms see their country's business climate as significantly improved and are more optimistic about the future.
BusinessJune 26, 2017
Porsche Macan-Fabrik in Leipzig

Ifo projects stronger German growth

Germany's economic think tank Ifo has raised its forecast for GDP expansion in the country this year and the next.
BusinessJune 20, 2017
Containerschiff Mol Prestige Singapur

German business data strong

Economic data from Germany is showing that businesses are doing better than expected, benefitting from robust demand.
BusinessMay 23, 2017
Deutsche Börse in Frankfurt am Main

DAX hit all-time high

Germany's blue-chip share index has surged to a record as investors were relieved by the success of Emmanuel Macron.
BusinessApril 24, 2017
Manager drawing a graph

German business confidence up markedly

Business expectations among German managers have brightened in recent weeks.
BusinessMarch 27, 2017
Euro sign

ECB wants to play it safe

Germany's Institute for Economic Research (Ifo) has called on ECB governors to phase out its loose monetary policy.
BusinessMarch 9, 2017