Our figure of the month 08/2017: Intermediate input in upswing – is this the end of wait-and-see position in investment?

02.08.2017

Intermediate inputs are products that are predominantly used, processed and/or transformed in production processes. Metal, wood, chemical raw materials, rubber and plastic, paper and cardboard as well as electronic assembly parts belong to this group. Hence, the development of incoming orders of intermediate inputs can be seen as an indicator for measuring future economic performance of important industry sectors – in particular of the chemical, the electronic and the metal industry.

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The diagram shows that, after having fallen throughout 2016, incoming orders of intermediate inputs (seasonally adjusted) have been rising continuously since the turn of the year. Although the growth rate still is significantly smaller compared with the development in 2010/2011, it could imply that the wait-and-see situation regarding investments in Germany is currently being dissolved.

Other figures can be found here.

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