Wholesaling: Prices Rise

In wholesaling, the business climate deteriorated for the third month in a row, mainly due to growing scepticism about developments in the months ahead. In contrast, the business situation assessments of the surveyed wholesalers were more favourable. Although the corresponding sub-indicator did not reach the extremely positive values seen in spring, it was way above its long-term average. Inventories have increased recently and reached an average level for the wholesaling sector this month. Accordingly, traders were less inclined to expand their ordering activities. According to the Federal Statistical Office, wholesalers implemented large price hikes in October and the information provided by survey participants suggests that this trend is likely to continue in the months ahead. In terms of recruiting, the majority of wholesalers still plan to hire new staff.