Latest News
Self-Employed in Germany Still Under Pressure
The order shortage among the self-employed continues, with almost one in two respondents (45.7%) reporting a lack of orders. “Both companies and private customers are holding back. That particularly affects the self-employed,” says ifo expert Katrin Demmelhuber. “A noticeable uptick in business is still a long way off.”
ifo President Fuest Opposes Special Tax on AI Revenues
A special tax on revenues from artificial intelligence (AI) would currently be the wrong approach, according to ifo President Clemens Fuest. Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) had proposed it as a way to fund retraining and further training. “Such a tax would hold back the use of AI in Germany and widen our lag behind the US and China,” notes Fuest.
Fuel Discount Fully Passed On for Gasoline, Much Less So for Diesel
The fuel discount is being passed on to consumers in full for gasoline, but only just over half of it is reaching consumers for diesel. According to the latest calculations by the ifo Institute, an average of 9.7 cents of the 17-cent tax cut per liter was passed on for diesel, and 17.4 cents each for Super E10 and Super E5 gasoline between October 28 and November 3. For diesel, this marks a significant decline compared with the previous week, when the pass-through stood at 14.0 cents. The decline in the pass-through rate for diesel compared to the end of October is likely due to France’s release of strategic diesel reserves in early November. This has led to falling diesel prices in France. In the current estimates, the effect of the release of diesel reserves in France cannot be separated from the effect of the fuel rebate. The pass-through rate for diesel is therefore very likely being underestimated. The ifo Institute updates its fuel discount tracker weekly to examine the extent to which oil companies pass on the tax cut to consumers.
ifo Business Climate Rises (October 2026)
Business sentiment in Germany has improved. The ifo Business Climate Index rose to 90.2 points in October, up from 89.9 points in September. This was due to more optimistic expectations. Companies, however, assessed their current situation as slightly worse. The economic recovery is continuing.
Awards Presented to ifo Researchers
At ifo’s Annual Meeting on June 25, 2026, the ifo Institute awards prizes to ifo researchers for outstanding research achievements, as in previous years. The ifo Outstanding Publication Award was presented to Giuseppe Di Giacomo, Lasha Chargaziia, Yvonne Giesing, Aleksandra Friedl, Maddalena Totarelli, Florian Neumeier, and Sebastian Wichert. Mathias Dolls received the Roland Berger Outstanding Publication Award.
Researchers
ifo Institute is a science hub and also a place where researchers from all over the world come together. It is our researchers who are crucial to our success.
3 Questions for ...
The short interviews in the Annual Report 2025 assemble voices from inside the ifo Institute. They provide an insight into the diverse tasks and topics that move us - and show the people who contribute to the success of our work with their expertise and commitment: in research, management and service.
CESifo Network: Promoting Research Excellence
CESifo is a global network of more than 2000 members who are selected on the basis of their expertise and extensive experience in CESifo's research areas. Members are invited to join the network as Affiliates or Fellows after a research stay at the Center for Economic Studies or the ifo Institute.
EconPol Europe: Evidence-Based Policy Debate
EconPol Europe is CESifo’s economic policy platform. EconPol’s mission is to contribute to the crafting of evidence-based, effective economic policy in the face of the rapidly evolving challenges faced by the European economies and their global partners.
About Us
The ifo Institute wants to help shape the economic policy debate in Germany and Europe. We can do this, because we combine excellent research with economic policy relevance. Our research findings provide policymakers and business leaders with a basis for making informed decisions.
