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Munich (dpa) - The mood in German companies brightened in February despite Corona restrictions.
Compared to the previous month, the Ifo business climate rose by 2.1 points to 92.4 points, as the Ifo Institute announced on Monday in Munich.
That is the highest level since October.
Analysts had expected an improvement, but only with a slight improvement to 90.5 points.
"The German economy is robust despite the lockdown, mainly because of the strong industrial activity," commented Ifo President Clemens Fuest on the situation.
The companies rated their current situation as better as well as their future prospects.
The business climate rose in all economic sectors considered.
Even in the trade, which was badly hit by the corona restrictions, things improved somewhat.
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In industry, which is much less affected by the lockdown than retail and service providers, the business climate even rose to its highest level in more than two years.
According to the Ifo Institute, the situation in the hospitality industry remains difficult in the service sector.
In the tourism industry, however, cautious optimism regarding the holiday season has shown itself for the first time.
The recent cold weather had a negative impact on the construction industry.
"That was a clearly positive surprise," said Uwe Burkert, chief economist at Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW).
Obviously, the companies were looking through the risks of a third corona wave.
Jörg Krämer, chief economist at Commerzbank, made a similar statement.
The companies sniffed the spring air.
Apparently, the companies expected that the pandemic with the higher temperatures would withdraw and that politics could loosen the lockdown at least from the end of March.
The main risk is a third corona wave.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210222-99-542651 / 2