The general business climate index for the agricultural machinery industry in Europe has risen further with its strongest increase since the start of the recent recession. As a result, the business climate has entered an upswing territory, while the overall index is still negative. In February, the index increased from -31 points to -11 points (on a scale of -100 to +100).
Once again, improving overall turnover expectations are driving the improvements in the general business climate, while the current overall business evaluations continue at very low levels. A further and significant improvement can especially be seen in expectations for the coming order intake (an indicator that is not included in the calculation of the overall barometer index).
After the volume of orders has been significantly reduced in 2023 and 2024, it now corresponds to a production period of 3.3 months, which is almost at the average level for the years 2017 to 2020 before the boom phase.
With a view to the market side, the confidence index has improved for all European markets without exception, with several countries back in or close to positive territory for the first time since the start of the recent recession period.
