Economic Assessments More Sceptical Again

In July, sceptical economic assessments once again predominated. Index declines were particularly evident in the assessments of the current situation and by sector in services and retail. Manufacturing enterprises continue to be particularly sceptical. Capacity utilisation fell in all sectors and uncertainty rose slightly in a quarter-on-quarter comparison. "Lack of demand" continued to gain in importance as an obstacle to business activity and was the most frequently cited obstacle in all sectors in July.