The two key raw material inputs for steel production are iron ore and coking coal. In the coking coal market, the establishment of quality standards and the development of an online trading platform have already led to the emergence of reliable indices that are the basis for brisk business in forward transactions. The iron ore market is currently witnessing similar developments. The aim is greater flexibility in iron ore trading. ... [more]

The world’s water markets are confronted with major challenges. The increase in the world's population and higher incomes in developing countries and emerging markets are going hand in hand with a rise in demand for food, energy and other goods. This is resulting in increased demand for water. Climate change will amplify many water-related problems and create new ones. We put the annual investment required in the global water sector at about EUR 400-500 bn. Governments will not be able to raise the funding needed on their own. For this reason, we believe it makes sense for governments and the private sector to cooperate more closely. Makers of “water technologies” will have huge sales potential awaiting them in the coming decades. We have used a scoring model to rank the attractiveness of various countries for investments in the water industry. Among the economies that ranked best are many countries from the Middle East, but also the heavily populated countries of China and India as well as the US and Germany. In principle, though, all countries require a substantial amount of investment in the water sector. [more]

Germany's manufacturing industry was heavily burdened by the recession. The capacity utilisation rate declined by 17 pp within two years, the largest drop since this data has been collected. However, it recovered just as rapidly: within one year the capacity utilisation rate rose by 11 pp, an extraordinary development as well. As a result, producer prices will also rise considerably, at least temporarily... [more]