Manufacturing: Capacity Utilisation Stable

The business climate clouded over slightly in October. The firms surveyed in the context of the Ifo Business Survey were no longer quite as satisfied with their current business situation as in September, and they also expressed less optimism about future business developments. At 83.2%, however, capacity utilisation rates for machinery and equipment were just as high as in the previous quarter and are in line with the long-term average. In view of improved export perspectives, the production plans of companies were more growth-oriented than recently.