Manufacturing (east):
Business climate downturn returns

The worsening of the business climate in east Germany is primarily a result of the less positive assessment of the current situation, but pessimism regarding business expectations has also increased. Capacity utilisation (excluding food and beverages) has fallen in west Germany to 85.7% and in east Germany to 82.4%. In both survey areas, the responses indicate a worsening of order reserves, growing inventory pressure, and further cuts in production. In the intermediate products sector, firms expect pressure on prices to increase even more