German Business Confidence Beats Expectations

German business confidence improved more than expected in July, pointing to robust growth in Europe’s largest economy this year.

The Ifo think tank said Monday its business climate index rose to 108.0 in July from a revised 107.5 in June and was higher than a forecast of 107.5 in a Wall Street Journal poll of analysts.

Ifo said that business managers were relieved that the imminent threat of Greece leaving the currency area was averted. The indebted country managed in mid-July to clinch a last-minute agreement with other eurozone members that could pave the way for fresh loans.

German companies were more optimistic about future business in light of a weaker euro exchange rate, particularly in the export-oriented manufacturing sector, the survey showed.

The Ifo indicator measuring business expectations for the next six months rose to 102.4 in July from 102.1 in June.

Firms’ assessment of their current business situation improved too, with the corresponding indicator rising to 113.9 from 113.1.

Other forward-looking indicators published earlier this month had painted a more mixed picture of the country’s economic outlook.

via MarketWatch

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Alfonso Esparza

Alfonso Esparza

Senior Currency Analyst at Market Pulse
Alfonso Esparza specializes in macro forex strategies for North American and major currency pairs. Upon joining OANDA in 2007, Alfonso Esparza established the MarketPulseFX blog and he has since written extensively about central banks and global economic and political trends. Alfonso has also worked as a professional currency trader focused on North America and emerging markets. He has been published by The MarketWatch, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal and The Globe and Mail, and he also appears regularly as a guest commentator on networks including Bloomberg and BNN. He holds a finance degree from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) and an MBA with a specialization on financial engineering and marketing from the University of Toronto.
Alfonso Esparza