Berlin — German companies are more optimistic than ever as they reap the benefits of global economic strength fuelling demand from the world’s third-largest exporter. A measure of the nation’s business climate rose to the highest level on record in October, exceeding a previous all-time high set just three months ago. The Munich-based Ifo Institute, which surveys about 7,000 companies, has compiled the index for the unified German economy since 1991. The report — Ifo’s first since Angela Merkel was re-elected German chancellor last month — was published on the eve of the European Central Bank’s most critical decision in years, as officials decide how to wean the wider eurozone off quantitative easing. It suggests Germany’s strong growth performance this year will probably spill into the final quarter, supporting economists’ forecasts of the fastest annual expansion since 2011. "It’s the combination of a very strong global economy from which German exporters benefit, and the fact tha...
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