Deutschland ZEW-Konjunkturerwartungen

The ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment for Germany sank to -14 in April 2025, the lowest since July 2023, from 51.6 in March, and much worse than forecasts of 9.5. It marks the steepest drop in expectations since the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as unpredictable shifts in US trade policy continue to weigh heavily on sentiment. "Not only the potential consequences of the announced reciprocity tariffs for global trade, but also the dynamic nature of their changes have led to a massive increase in global uncertainty. Export-intensive sectors such as the automotive and chemical industries, as well as metal, machinery, and steel production, which have recently seen significant improvements, are particularly affected", ZEW President Prof. Achim Wambach, PhD, said. Meanwhile, the assessment of the current economic situation improved slightly to -81.2 from -87.6.