Supply Chain Research

Export order sentiment among German managers reached the highest since February 2011 in October according to the latest IFO survey. That follows a 13 month run of export order growth, including a new record level of exports in August. A net 22% of engineering sector managers see export orders as better-than-normal, up from 1% in May. Their optimism is well placed – U.S. capital goods imports grew at their fastest rate in over five years in August. The improvement in sentiment isn’t coordinated across Europe. While French managers’ sentiment rose to the highest since February 2008, those ...