German ZEW economic sentiment
How financial analysts see Germany’s next six months.
The basics
The ZEW asks financial analysts whether they expect the German economy to improve or worsen over six months.
How to read the result
- Above the forecast
- A reading above the forecast often lifts the euro.
- Below the forecast
- A reading below the forecast often weakens the euro.
Going deeper
Because it surveys market professionals, it often follows share prices; markets give it less weight than the Ifo survey of firms.
FAQs
- Why can the price move the “wrong” way?
- Prices already reflect the forecast, so markets react to the surprise, not the number itself. Other parts of the same release, revisions to earlier months or other news in the same hour can outweigh the headline figure, and a first move often reverses within the hour.
- Should I close my trade before the release?
- That is your decision; this page does not give advice. What is certain is that prices can jump in seconds around big releases, spreads widen, and a stop loss can close at a worse price than the one you set. Many traders check their position size and stop before the release.