Comments by Bundesbank via its monthly report
- Euro area economy growing at a subdued pace in Q3
- Sees first signs of downturn in the labour market
- German economic outlook remains unclear, hinges on exports
- Economic activity could shrink over the summer (Q3) due to weak industrial activity
- It is unclear if exports will regain their footing before the domestic economy becomes more severely affected
Given the way things are going, another economic contraction wouldn't be surprising.
As mentioned over the last few weeks, the dichotomy of Germany's economy (manufacturing and services performance) will eventually settle on one path and the likelihood of negative spillovers from the manufacturing to services sector grows with each passing day.
Thursday's PMI data may give us a glimpse of that but lawmakers and policymakers will be certainly be hoping that the services sector will continue to bolster the economy through these tough times.