At the start of the year, the mood in German industry and manufacturing brightened for the first time since June. This was the result of a survey conducted by the Munich Ifo Institute among around 9,000 executives. According to this, they are again more skeptical about the situation of their companies than in the past, but are looking to the future with much more optimism. “The German economy is starting the new year with a glimmer of hope,” said Ifo President Clemens Fuest: “Yes, things are looking pretty good, especially in the industrial sector. We had problems there in the previous months, mainly due to delivery they are still there. But we are seeing signs of a slight relaxation. Two thirds of the companies are still telling us that there are problems with preliminary products. But the number has fallen somewhat. And there, too, the companies expect things to get better . To the extent that the corona wave is overcome in China, in Asia, there will also be fewer disruptions to deliveries.” For service providers, the Ifo business climate index rose again after three declines in a row. “The pessimism about expectations has disappeared,” said Ifo boss Fuest. And that despite the sharp increase in the number of corona infections in the omicron wave. “Yes, compared to previous corona waves, there are two important differences. First, many more people have been vaccinated, and more and more people have been boosted. And that means that the health risks are not that great after all. That means that parts of the The economy can remain open, with 2G, 2G+. That was not possible in the past waves of infection. People dare to go out, especially those who have been vaccinated.” With a view to the overall economy, however, the Ifo Institute warned against euphoria. There are positive signals. But it is still too early to speak of a trend reversal. Most economists assume that the pandemic wave caused by the corona variant Omicron will also slow down the economy in the current first quarter. For 2022 as a whole, the federal government expects growth of 3.6 percent, as can be seen from the draft of the annual economic report.