Ifo Architects Survey: Increasing scepticism regarding business expectations

After two quarters of strong improvement, the business climate for independent architects in Germany clouded over at the beginning of the third quarter of 2006. Although the surveyed architects appraised their current business situation as somewhat "better" than in the previous quarter, 40 percent continued to characterise their present business situation as "poor" and only half as many as "good". The business situation is now about as "good" as it was nearly six years ago. The business expectations have worsened, however. Only 7 percent of the architects expect a "somewhat better" order situation in the course of the coming six months. The share of optimists has thus been reduced by more than half. Nearly a quarter (previous quarter: 18 percent) expect a more negative development.