The business climate index for the German printing and media industry clouded over slightly once again in May 2026. The seasonally adjusted business climate index, compiled by the BVDM, recorded a decline of 1.4 percent compared to the previous month. Both current business conditions and expectations for the coming six months deteriorated slightly.
In May 2026, decision-makers surveyed by the ifo Institute assessed their business situation less favorably than in the previous month. Assessments regarding the next six months also proved more pessimistic. The seasonally and calendar-adjusted business situation index recorded a one percent decline in May 2026 compared to the previous month. This trend is attributable to a shift in how companies evaluated their current situation. Five percent of the surveyed firms rated their current business situation as positive, 27 percent rated it as negative, while 68 percent considered the situation to be satisfactory.
Assessments of order backlogs deteriorated once again in May. Four percent of the surveyed companies rated their order backlog positively, 58 percent as satisfactory, and 38 percent as negative. However, the general business and order situation remains strained. This is also reflected in the companies’ assessments of their earnings situation. A mere three percent provided a positive assessment of their earnings, while 52 percent gave a negative assessment. 46 percent considered their earnings situation to be satisfactory.
Business expectations worsened slightly in May 2026. Three percent of companies anticipate an improvement in business conditions, while 30 percent expect a downturn. 67 percent of respondents anticipate that business development will remain unchanged over the next six months. Expectations regarding the development of selling prices over the coming three months also present a clear picture: 46 percent of the surveyed companies anticipate rising prices, 50 percent expect prices to remain stable, and only four percent foresee falling prices.
BVDM
The *Bundesverband Druck und Medien e. V.* (BVDM)—the German Printing and Media Industries Federation—is the umbrella organization for the German printing industry. Acting as an employers’ association, a political trade association, and a technical professional association, it represents the positions and objectives of the printing industry vis-à-vis policymakers, administrative bodies, trade unions, and the supplier industry. The BVDM is supported by eight regional associations. Internationally, it is organized through its membership in Intergraf and FESPA. The printing industry currently comprises approximately 6,300 businesses—predominantly small and medium-sized enterprises—employing more than 99,000 people subject to social security contributions.
