2018.02.2223:50:00UTC+00Germany Business Confidence Drops in February

Sentiment among German businesses dropped in February, according to a closely watched survey that comes on the heels of other polls indicating enthusiasm is easing after hitting multi-year peaks.

The Munich-based Ifo economic institute said its business climate index, based on a monthly survey of some 7,000 companies, declined to a 5-month low of 115.4 from 117.6 in January.

The drop in the German headline figure was mainly caused by managers scaling back their business expectations for the next six months, with the respective sub-index dropping to a 10-month low.

A sector breakdown of the Ifo figures revealed that the main impediment came from manufacturing, where the mood among managers had reached a record peak in January. Business sentiment also deteriorated in wholesaling, construction and retailing.

The Ifo data come a day after a survey of German purchasing managers also pointed to a decline in output growth expectations.

Ifo chief Clemens Fuest said firms were less satisfied with their current business situation, but the indicator remains at its second-highest level since 1991.

This upbeat growth outlook was also mirrored in the finance ministry's monthly report that was recently released which said recent data was pointing to a continuation of the economic upswing at the beginning of the year.

Germany is coming off of a year of strong economic expansion. Economists broadly expect the country to continue performing well in 2018, but some have questioned whether the rapid pace can hold.