An increasing number of German companies are planning to raise their prices. The Ifo Price Expectations index rose from 23.0 in September to 25.9 points in October 2026.
According to Ifo economic chief Timo Wollmershäuser, this rise is a reaction to the sharp increase in rough oil and natural gas prices, which reached their highest levels since 2022 during the second half of October. He noted that inflation is still expected to climb in the coming months, impacting both producer and consumer prices.
In October, price expectations increased across most economic sectors. The most notable climb was observed in the manufacturing industry, where the index surged to 27.2 points, up from 22.0 in September. Price expectations also climbed in retail (rising to 32.2 points from 31.5) and among consumer-facing services (up to 17.7 points from 15.1).
In contrast, the construction industry remained almost unchanged, holding steady at 16.1 points (a slight decrease from 16.2 in September). The only area where price pressure eased was among business-facing services, where the index fell to 22.3 points, down from 23.4 in September.
