The general business climate index for the agricultural machinery industry in Europe has jumped from + 4 to + 11 points in September (on a scale of -100 to +100). Expectations of good business in the upcoming months are primarily responsible for the significant upturn, but the current mood has also improved slightly since August. Both, order and sales expectations are assessed more positively in September. This development can be observed in all product segments.
Looking at the specific indices, arable equipment has made a remarkable leap of 16 points to an index of +14 and, together with transport technology (+4), is back in positive territory. For tractors and harvesting equipment the moods are rated still clearly negative at -18 and -12 respectively but the current situation has improved (more significantly for harvesters than for tractors). However, future expectations remained unchanged from the previous month. With an index of +69, the livestock equipment segment continues to show a clear contrast to the other segments. This upward trend began last summer, and the index reached positive territory by the end of 2024.
On closer inspection, France, the Netherlands, and especially the UK expect a significant decline in incoming orders in the coming months. In Germany, and the United Kingdom, turnover expectations are viewed rather negatively. However, the turnover expectations are improving continuously in countries such as Spain and Italy.
