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The Ifo Business Climate and the German Economy

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  • Christian Seiler
  • Klaus Wohlrabe

Abstract

The most well-known indicator for economic development in Germany is the Ifo Business Climate Index, which is composed of the monthly Ifo surveys on the economic situation and business expectations. Analyses show that the Ifo Business Climate is a reliable indicator for economic activity in Germany. The relation between GDP growth rates and manufacturing production growth rates is higher than for comparative indicators, such as the ZEW index, for example. The Ifo Business Climate Index is available on a timely basis, shows economic developments early on and is subject to no revisions. The Ifo Business Climate Index is thus rightly seen as the central indicator for assessing economic activity in Germany.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian Seiler & Klaus Wohlrabe, 2013. "The Ifo Business Climate and the German Economy," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 66(18), pages 17-21, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:ces:ifosdt:v:66:y:2013:i:18:p:17-21
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    Cited by:

    1. Stefan Sauer & Klaus Wohlrabe, 2018. "The New ifo Business Climate Index for Germany," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 71(07), pages 54-60, April.
    2. Bernhard Kassner & Klaus Wohlrabe, 2018. "An Analysis of Response Behaviour in ifo's Manufacturing Survey," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 71(03), pages 29-34, February.
    3. Garnitz, Johanna & Lehmann, Robert & Wohlrabe, Klaus, 2019. "Forecasting GDP all over the world using leading indicators based on comprehensive survey data," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 51(54), pages 5802-5816.
    4. Franziska Fobbe & Robert Lehmann, 2016. "Electric Motors, Energy Supply and Education: the Quality of Ifo’s Production-Side Short-Term Forecast," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 69(12), pages 58-63, June.
    5. Pascal Bührig & Klaus Wohlrabe, 2015. "Revisions of German Industrial Production Statistics and Ifo Indicators," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 68(21), pages 27-31, November.
    6. Sabine Rumscheidt, 2017. "Die ifo Konjunkturumfrage im Großhandel – Frühindikator für die wirtschaftliche Entwicklung der Branche?," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 70(11), pages 49-54, June.
    7. Sauer,Stefan & Klaus Wohlrabe & Stefan Sauer, 2019. "CEO or Intern − Who Actually Answers the Questionnaires in the ifo Business Survey?," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 20(02), pages 29-31, July.
    8. Robert Lehmann, 2023. "The Forecasting Power of the ifo Business Survey," Journal of Business Cycle Research, Springer;Centre for International Research on Economic Tendency Surveys (CIRET), vol. 19(1), pages 43-94, March.
    9. Klaus Wohlrabe & Przemyslaw Wojciechowski, 2014. "Ifo Business Survey of the Service Sector – Background, Explanations and Performance," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 67(21), pages 47-53, November.
    10. Stefan Sauer & Klaus Wohlrabe, 2019. "Boss or Trainee – Who Actually Answers the Questionnaires in the ifo Business Surveys?," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 72(03), pages 30-32, February.
    11. Klaus Wohlrabe & Timo Wollmershäuser, 2017. "Interpreting the ifo Business Climate Correctly as a Leading Economic Indicator," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 70(15), pages 42-46, August.
    12. Steffen Henzel & Robert Lehmann & Klaus Wohlrabe, 2015. "Die Machbarkeit von Kurzfristprognosen für den Freistaat Sachsen," ifo Dresden berichtet, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 22(04), pages 21-25, August.
    13. Stefan Sauer & Klaus Wohlrabe, 2015. "Seasonal Adjustment in the Ifo Business Survey – Conversion to the X-13ARIMA-SEATS Procedure," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 68(01), pages 32-42, January.
    14. Wolfgang Nierhaus & Timo Wollmershäuser, 2016. "ifo Konjunkturumfragen und Konjunkturanalyse: Band II," ifo Forschungsberichte, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, number 72.
    15. Przemyslaw Brandt & Christian Grotemeier & Klaus Wohlrabe, 2017. "BVL Logistics Indicator – Background, Developments and Results," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 70(20), pages 36-42, October.

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