European defence company shares fall amid Ukraine peace talk hopes; Novo Nordisk reports Ozempic fails to help with Alzheimer’s – as it happened

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as Novo Nordisk finds its semaglutide drug fails to help in Alzheimer's treatment

German business morale has unexpectedly fallen this month, as companies lose hope on a recovery of the German economy following two years of contraction.

The Ifo institute has reported that its business climate index fell to 88.1 in November from 88.4 in October, weaker than expected. It's a blow to German chancellor Friedrich Merz's efforts to revive growth through a major spending package.

Companies have little faith that a recovery is coming anytime soon."

Like U2 sang almost 40 years ago: the German economy still hasn't found what it's looking for.

The year 2025 has been another year of hope and disappointed optimism. A year which saw excitement and enthusiasm sparked by Germany's unprecedented fiscal policy U-turn and its decision to invest significantly in infrastructure and defence this spring. But also a year that brought a rude awakening and a cringing feeling as we watched the new government undermine the positive impact of fiscal stimulus with clumsy budgetary decisions, new political tensions, and a lack of structural reforms.