economy
German Inflation Reaches 3.3% as Fuel Prices Diverge From Utilities
The final September data show higher transport and heating-oil costs alongside lower electricity and gas prices.
Author
Anna Weber
Economics Editor, German Business Review
Anna Weber covers German growth, trade and prices, focusing on what official releases establish and where short-term data remains provisional.
Coverage prioritises Destatis, the Bundesbank, federal regulators, company reports and dated regional statistics. Estimates and company guidance are presented as such.
Anna's economics beat is structured around the difference between a release and a trend. She keeps provisional data, revisions, survey balances and recorded output separate, and uses trade, production and price evidence to show when a monthly movement is broad enough to matter for German companies.
Her reporting also follows the industrial composition behind national figures. Germany's export and manufacturing exposure means a change in foreign demand can move the domestic picture quickly, so she connects macro releases with the sectors and external markets responsible for the shift.
Articles by Anna Weber
economy
Germany's August Export Fall Exposes a More Uneven Trade Recovery
Exports fell 0.8% in August as shipments to the US dropped and imports rose. A strong annual comparison obscures weakness in the latest monthly flow.
mittelstand
German Businesses See a China Competitiveness Problem, With Bureaucracy the Most Common Constraint
German Business Review's October 2026 audience research finds almost half say their company is less competitive against Chinese companies than three years ago, while bureaucracy is the most frequently selected constraint.
technology
The Case for Making Hyperscale AI Data Centres Pay More of Their Grid Costs
AI infrastructure can strengthen Germany's digital economy, but concentrated new electricity demand raises a basic allocation question: how much of the resulting network bill should existing customers carry?
technology
The Case Against Special Grid Charges for AI Data Centres
Making hyperscalers pay every visible network cost sounds fair, but poorly designed charges can misprice shared infrastructure and push strategic compute investment out of Germany.
economy
Germany's Recovery Is Real, but the 2028 Forecast Reveals Its Limit
The institutes expect 1.3% growth in 2026 and 1.1% in 2027 as defence and infrastructure spending gains traction. Growth then slows to 0.4%, exposing the difference between fiscal lift and structural renewal.
technology
Germany Offers Up to €5 Million Per Project to Turn AI and Sovereign Tech Research Into Products
The new Digital Tech-to-Product programme targets startups and SMEs working across AI, cybersecurity, cloud, edge computing and data ecosystems.
automotive
Porsche Could Cut Another 4,000 Jobs as Volkswagen Restructuring Deepens
Handelsblatt reports that Volkswagen sees scope for more than 4,000 additional reductions at Porsche, although neither company has confirmed the reported plan.
automotive
Volkswagen Takes €10 Billion Hit as Porsche Impairment and Restructuring Weigh on 2026 Profit
Volkswagen has cut its 2026 operating-return outlook to as much as 1%, with around €10 billion of special effects weighing on operating profit.
energy
Germany Cuts Petrol and Diesel Tax by About €0.17 a Litre From October
The federal and state governments say the temporary relief package will run from October through the end of 2026 and provide around €2.5 billion of relief.
technology
Cohere and Aleph Alpha Sign Merger Agreement: What It Means for Germany's Sovereign AI Push
The Canadian and German AI companies have signed a definitive business combination agreement, creating a transatlantic sovereign-AI platform with Berlin, Toronto and Heidelberg at the centre of its operating footprint.
energy
Germany's Gas Storage Levels Hit a 15-Year Seasonal Low: How the New Winter Incentives Would Work
Berlin is preparing to expand market incentives for winter gas availability after storage levels fell to roughly 53% in early September, according to Reuters reporting citing INES data.
energy
Germany's Industrial Energy Map: Power Prices, Gas Storage and Manufacturing Exposure
A living evidence layer connecting German electricity and gas conditions to the industries most exposed to energy costs.
energy
Germany's Gas-Storage Debate Is Putting Energy Security Back at the Centre of Industrial Policy
Storage economics, winter resilience and industrial energy costs are again converging into the same policy problem for Europe's largest manufacturing economy.
economy
German Industrial Production Falls 1.1% as Automotive Output Drops Sharply
July's German production data show a 1.1% monthly decline, led by a 9.2% fall in automotive output, while energy production and the three-month trend provide a more mixed picture.
economy
Ifo Raises Germany's 2026 Growth Forecast to 1.4%
Ifo now expects German GDP to grow 1.4% in 2026, up 0.6 percentage points from its summer forecast. Growth is forecast at 1.2% in 2027.
economy
Exports Supported Germany in Q2, With Goods Leading
Exports rose 2.0% quarter on quarter, including a 2.6% increase in goods, according to Destatis.
economy
Germany's Business Climate Rose to 88.8 in August
Current assessments and expectations both improved, providing a brighter survey reading before hard activity data confirms it.
economy
The ifo Climate Improved in July, but It Is Still a Survey
Companies became less pessimistic; the index remains an assessment of conditions and expectations rather than measured output.
economy
China Returned as Germany's Largest Trading Partner
The 2025 ranking reflects imports and exports together, while the shrinking trade surplus shows pressure beyond one partner.
economy
The Bundesbank Forecast Is a Scenario, Not Recorded Growth
Trade, fiscal policy and consumer demand sit behind the projection and can move before later national accounts arrive.
economy
Germany's 0.2% Growth in 2025 Left a Low Baseline
The economy expanded slightly after two weak years, while exports and industrial investment remained under pressure.
economy
Germany's Q1 Export Rise Needs a Goods and Services Split
Exports strengthened early in 2026, but destination, product mix and imports decide the contribution to growth.
economy
Germany's Q1 Growth Was Better Than Stagnation, Not a Full Recovery
A 0.3% quarterly expansion improved the starting point, while exports, investment and revisions determine its durability.