{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/business/german-firms-cut-us-investment-to-43bn-in-first-half-of-2026-lowest-since-2023","slug":"german-firms-cut-us-investment-to-43bn-in-first-half-of-2026-lowest-since-2023","url":"https://mediabias.news/business/german-firms-cut-us-investment-to-43bn-in-first-half-of-2026-lowest-since-2023","title":"German firms cut US investment to €4.3bn in first half of 2026, lowest since 2023","subtitle":"Data from Germany’s central bank shows an 80% drop from 2024 levels amid trade policy uncertainty","excerpt":"German companies reduced direct investment in the United States to €4.3 billion in the first half of 2026, a near-80% decline from 2024. The German Economic Institute attributed the drop to uncertainty under Trump administration trade policies, though reinvested earnings suggest the US remains attractive.","category":"Business & Economy","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-08-16T12:46:33.693Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-08-16T11:43:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-16T12:46:33.693Z","readTime":"4 min read","scores":{"trust":96,"critic":95,"hype":15,"notes":{"trust":"Trust high (96) due to named IW researcher, dataset, and multiple independent outlets confirming €4.3bn figure.","critic":"Critic high (95) as article explains policy impact, quotes researcher, separates facts, provides specific figures and future outlook.","hype":"Hype low (15) – headline matches content without sensational language."}},"tags":["#GermanInvestment","#USTradePolicy","#TransatlanticEconomy","#ForeignDirectInvestment","#TrumpAdministration"],"entities":["German Economic Institute (IW)","Samina Sultan","Donald Trump","European Union","Germany","United States"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["German companies’ direct investments in the US fell to €4.3 billion in the first half of 2026, an 80% drop from the same period in 2024.","The decline follows Trump administration policies, including threatened import tariffs, which the German Economic Institute said increased uncertainty.","Reinvested earnings by existing German firms in the US remained high, indicating the market is still seen as attractive despite lower new capital commitments.","The five-year pre-pandemic average for first-half US investments by German firms was €15.8 billion, nearly four times the 2026 figure."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"German companies reduced their direct investments in the United States to €4.3 billion in the first half of 2026, the lowest level since 2023. The figure marks a drop of nearly two-thirds from the same period in 2025 and an 80% decline from 2024, according to calculations by the German Economic Institute (IW) using data from Germany’s central bank."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The IW report, cited by Reuters, said the downward trend began after Donald Trump’s return to office in January 2025. Trump’s administration has threatened import tariffs on trading partners, including the European Union, to secure concessions. In 2025, the EU agreed to a $600 billion investment pledge to avoid heavy duties on its exports to the US."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Before the COVID-19 pandemic, German firms averaged €15.8 billion in first-half US investments over five years. The 2020-2023 period included years with net investment outflows, which IW researcher Samina Sultan described as shaped by \"exceptional circumstances\". In 2025, direct-investment loans and reinvested earnings were high, while new equity capital remained below average."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Sultan told Reuters that companies already active in the US continued to reinvest profits locally, suggesting the market remains attractive overall. However, she said firms were hesitant to commit new capital."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The two left-rated digests led on the scale of the decline. Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported a 65% drop in direct investment in 2025 compared with the previous year, and noted that the US remained attractive as a market because profits were reinvested locally. Zeit Online also highlighted the 65% reduction and linked the negative trend to Trump’s second term."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The two centre-rated reports carried the full IW account. WTVB and Reuters both led with the €4.3 billion figure and the near-80% drop from 2024. Both included Sultan’s statement that the trend began with Trump’s second term and quoted her on the US remaining an attractive market despite lower new capital commitments."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The six right-rated digests all led with the three-year low and the two-thirds year-on-year drop. The Times of India’s full report framed the decline as driven by Trump administration policies, quoting Sultan’s statement that the trend began with his second term. Welt’s digest noted that companies were holding back on new engagements despite the market’s attractiveness. Regionalmedianews.com, Daily Sabah, The Hindu Business Line, and Handelsblatt all carried the €4.3 billion figure and the two-thirds drop, with Handelsblatt adding that Trump’s tariffs had not succeeded in increasing German investment in the US."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of the right-rated digests mentioned the pre-pandemic average of €15.8 billion. None of the left-rated digests included the composition of investment flows in 2025, such as the high levels of reinvested earnings or direct-investment loans."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"Reuters","url":"https://reuters.com/business/finance/german-companies-cut-us-investment-three-year-low-data-show-2026-08-16","headline":"German companies cut US investment to three-year low, data show","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-16T11:43:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Aktuálně.cz","url":"https://zpravy.aktualne.cz/ekonomika/nemecke-firmy-snizily-investice-v-usa-o-dve-tretiny-mohou-za-to-i-trumpova-cla/r~aaa29d1931ff4a4b691bb5ba80bb2e66","headline":"German Companies Have Reduced Investments in the US by Two-Thirds. 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