Manufacturing Firms Intend to Further Downsize their Investments in 2010, Slight Recovery in Construction. Results of the WIFO Autumn 2009 Investment Survey

According to the results of WIFO's Autumn 2009 investment survey, investment in manufacturing at current prices decreased by 24.0 percent in 2009, the largest drop since WIFO began to collect investment data (in 1964). For 2010 the greatest decline is expected for automotive, capital and intermediate goods. In contrast, there will be increases in investment in the consumer goods, food and beverages sectors. However, unlike their investment in equipment and structures, manufacturing firms plan to boost investment in hardware and software by 5 and 13 percent, respectively. The construction industry massively reduced its investment activity in 2009 (43 percent), but a sluggish recovery can be expected for 2010.