Energy Costs Drag German Consumer Confidence Down More Than Expected

Germany's consumer confidence index, published by the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions and GfK, fell to minus 30.6 points for October, from a revised minus 26.8 in September, against a forecast of minus 27.4 in a Reuters poll of economists. The data was released on Friday, September 25, 2026, and reported by Mehr News Agency citing Reuters.

The sharpest drop came in income expectations, which fell 16.7 points to minus 15, the lowest since April 2026. The willingness to save rose 6 points to 21.5, the highest since the 2008 financial crisis, while the willingness to buy slipped one point to minus 10.8. Economic expectations, by contrast, edged up for a fifth straight month.

Rolf Buerkl, who heads the survey, said most households expect high energy prices to erode their purchasing power. Germany is Europe's largest economy, and weaker consumption there weighs on energy demand and the outlook for the euro.