BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s business climate improved in February from January, another sign of resilience in Europe’s biggest economy despite the energy crisis and high inflation, the report showed on Wednesday. monthly survey by the Ifo Institute for Economic Studies.

The business climate index, however, came in slightly below expectations at 91.1, with economists and analysts polled by Reuters predicting a figure of 91.2. The previous month’s figure was revised from 90.2 to 90.1.

The component of the judgment of business leaders on their current business conditions fell to 93.9, after 94.1 last month, while that measuring the evolution of their expectations rose to 88.5 this month. below 86.4 in January. The consensus was 95.0 and 88.4 respectively.

On Germany’s gross domestic product (GDP) forecast, Ifo economist Klaus Wohlrabe said the country would not escape a recession this year, but it would be moderate.

German GDP contracted 0.2% in the fourth quarter compared to the previous three months in seasonally adjusted (CVS) data.

(Report Miranda Murray and Rachel More; with Klaus Lauer and Friederike Heine; Claude Chendjou, editing by Blandine Hénault and Kate Entringer)

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