June 24 (Reuters) - German business morale rose in June, a
survey showed on Wednesday, with companies more positive about
their current situation than they have been for nearly two
years.
The Ifo institute said its business climate index increased
to 85.6 compared to a revised 85.0 in May. The reading, which
showed only a slight improvement in future expectations, was in
line with a Reuters forecast.
"The German economy is hoping for an easing of the global
political situation," Ifo President Clemens Fuest said.
Business morale rose across all business sectors.
"Hope is back," said Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro
at ING. "However, before getting overly enthusiastic, even with
today's increase the Ifo index still remains below its pre-war
level."
ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT SITUATION DRIVES THE INCREASE
The increase in the headline index was in line with
expectations, said Robin Winkler, Germany chief economist at
Deutsche Bank Research.
"What is striking, however, is that this was mainly due to a
better assessment of the current situation," Winkler said.
Businesses were more satisfied with their current
operations, with the index rising to 87.0 from 86.1 in May.
The rise suggests that the impact of the U.S.-Israeli war on
Iran on activity is easing, said Harry Chambers, assistant
economist at Capital Economics.
The outlook for the coming months was also less pessimistic,
Ifo said, with the corresponding index rising to 84.1 from 83.9
in the previous month.
(Additional reporting by Reinhard Becker, editing by Thomas
Seythal and Philippa Fletcher)