Input Costs Rising in December 2009
Output levels in the German manufacturing sector continued to rise at a robust rate in December, extending the current period of expansion to six months. New order volumes also increased, albeit at a slower rate, leading to a further accumulation of unfinished work. An ongoing recovery in client demand resulted in slower job shedding at the end of 2009, with the latest drop in workforce numbers the weakest for fourteen months. However, margins were squeezed in December as price discounting continued, while input costs rose for the first time since October 2008. Read more
Purchasing Managers’ Index Reaches 52.4 Points
German manufacturers recorded the highest rises in output and new orders in more than two years. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) was at 52.4 in November, up from 51.0 in October, thus indicating the industry’s continued recovery. Read more
Falling Producer Prices for Services
Producer prices for services mostly declined in the third quarter of 2009 against the third quarter of 2008. Steep price falls were recorded for sea transport: The prices of services in sea and coastal water transport were markedly down by 27.5% compared with one year earlier. Read more
Jump in Sales in China and India
Worldwide demand for motor cars has further stabilised on most foreign markets towards the end of the year. Numerous stimulus packages have been supporting this trend. In China, sales volumes in November almost doubled with an increase of 92 percent. Read more
17 Percent of EU Imports from China
The share of China in EU27 trade in goods continued to rise in the first six months of 2009. Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are the largest trading partners of the People’s Republic. Read more
Improving Ifo Business Climate
The Ifo Business Climate for industry and trade in Germany clearly improved again in November. Read more
Ifo: World Economic Climate Improving
The Ifo World Economic Climate Indicator rose in the fourth quarter of 2009 for the third time in succession. The rise in the indicator is the result of both more favourable expectations for the coming six months as well as less negative assessments of the current economic situation. The recovery of the world economy is driven especially by the dynamic development in Brazil as well as in India, China and other Asian countries. Read more
Steel and Iron Production Rising in October
German metallurgical plants produced 2.14 million tonnes of pig iron and 3.45 million tonnes of raw steel in October 2009. Read more
Prison Term for Textile Smuggling from China
A two-and-a-half year prison term and fines totalling almost 50 million Euros is the punishment imposed on an individual responsible for large scale fraud involving textiles imported from China. Read more
Stimulus from Asia for BASF
BASF believes that destocking by its customers worldwide appears to be over for the time being. This has caused a slight upturn in demand. However, customers are still placing smaller orders at increasingly short notice, especially closer to the end of the year. Read more
New Order Growth
September data indicated that the manufacturing rebound in Germany remained on track, although the latest rise in output was a little more muted than in August. The latest survey also showed that new order growth accelerated to its fastest for a year-and-a-half and backlogs of work stabilised after fourteen consecutive months of decline. The recovery is nonetheless in its early stages, as cost cutting, job cuts and tight management of working capital remained to the fore. Read more
Purchasing Managers’ Index Climbs to 49.2
The Markit/BME Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) hit a 12-month high in August, rising 3.5 points from 45.7 to 49.2, just slightly below the growth mark of 50. It was in July 2008 that the index was above 50 points for the last time. Read more
GfK Consumer Climate Continues to Improve
The upward trend in the German consumer climate is continuing into late summer. Both economic and income expectations have once again increased and the propensity to buy has also improved. Read more
Symposium under the Motto “New Opportunities”
The BME Purchasing and Logistics Symposium expects 2,000 participants for the “44th BME Symposium Purchasing and Logistics” at the InterConti Hotel, Berlin. Read more
200 Exhibitors at aluexpo
aluexpo is the first international trade fair of the aluminium industry in Turkey. It will be organized from 15 through 18 October 2009 in Istanbul. Read more
ZEW: Optimism Returns
The ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment for Germany increased considerably in August 2009. The indicator rose by 16.6 points and now stands at 56.1 points, after 39.5 points in the previous month. This value is well above the indicator’s historical average of 26.5 points. Read more
German Economy Expanding Again
As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the German economy expanded slightly in the second quarter of 2009, for the first time since Q1 of 2008. After adjustment for price, seasonal and calendar factors, gross domestic product increased by 0.3% in the second quarter of 2009 against the previous quarter. Read more
Series Production of Lanxess Nanoparticles
Lanxess AG has developed a polymer additive for plastics and rubber that is now available for industrial application. These microgels, which consist of nanoscale organic particles, can be used to improve the material properties of elastomer and thermoplastic materials. Read more
Commercial Vehicles: Domestic Orders stabilize
Commercial vehicle markets remain under pressure. Domestic orders continued to stabilize in July. The demand for vans increased by 2 percent, while orders for heavy-duty vehicles declined by only 12 percent. Read more
Global Economic Trends in Q3
Although the world economic situation looks gloomy, there is some hope of improvement, according to the current Global Economic Outlook by Deloitte. Read more
