German ZEW economic sentiment rises to 34.7 in September
Index improves for fifth consecutive month but falls short of analyst expectations.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
German ZEW economic sentiment rises to 34.7 in September
Photograph: Sapo (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Germany's ZEW economic sentiment index increased to 34.7 points in September.
- The assessment of the current economic situation in Germany improved by 14 points to -47.1.
- The ZEW index for the Eurozone declined to 25.8 points in September.
- High energy costs due to the war in Iran and increased uncertainty from hybrid attacks were cited as risks.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 10 of the 16 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
61/100
Hype
41/100
16 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
None of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
The ZEW economic sentiment index for Germany rose to 34.7 points in September, according to a survey conducted between September 7 and 14. This marks the fifth consecutive month of improvement for the index, which reflects the expectations of 196 analysts and institutional investors. The assessment of the current economic situation in Germany also improved, rising by 14 points to -47.1 compared to the previous month. In contrast, the ZEW index for the Eurozone saw a decline, falling to 25.8 points in September.
Divergent expectations for German sentiment
While the ZEW economic sentiment index for Germany increased, the rise was less than anticipated by analysts. Some reports indicated that analysts had expected a larger jump. Achim Wambach, President of ZEW, cited high energy costs, exacerbated by the war in Iran, and increased uncertainty stemming from hybrid attacks as significant risks to the economy. These factors contributed to a sentiment described as 'cautious optimism' regarding the economic recovery.
What the coverage left out
None of the reports printed below mention the ZEW survey being conducted between September 7 and 14, reflecting the expectations of 196 analysts and institutional investors. No left-rated outlet ran this story.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 2 times, most recently on 15 Sept 2026, 16:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
4 rated outlets
- Centre-rated reports led on the ZEW economic sentiment index for Germany rising less than expected in September. France24 noted that the index increased by 0.5 percentage points to 34.7 points, falling well below the expectations of analysts. RTÉ also highlighted that German investor sentiment rose much less than expected, underscoring the economy's fragility due to the ongoing war and suspected attacks on infrastructure. Portfolio reported that the German economy may be past another low point, with investor sentiment stabilising and the assessment of the current economic situation improving significantly.
Right
2 rated outlets
- Right-rated reports focused on the stabilisation of investor confidence in Germany in September. Sapo reported that the ZEW economic sentiment index improved by 0.5 points to 34.7 points, with investor confidence stabilising due to a 'cautious optimism' about economic recovery. The report also mentioned that the assessment of the current situation in Germany rose by 14 points to -47.1. Globo's report highlighted the decline in the ZEW economic sentiment indicator for the euro area, which fell to 25.8 in September.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover German ZEW economic sentiment rises to 34.7 in September?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 67% are rated centre, 33% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 16. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is German ZEW economic sentiment rises to 34.7 in September left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of German ZEW economic sentiment rises to 34.7 in September biased?
- German ZEW economic sentiment rises to 34.7 in September is one event reported by 16 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting German ZEW economic sentiment rises to 34.7 in September?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered German ZEW economic sentiment rises to 34.7 in September?
- 16 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What is the ZEW economic sentiment index for Germany in September?
- The ZEW economic sentiment index for Germany rose to 34.7 points in September. This figure represents the expectations of analysts and institutional investors regarding the future economic situation.
- How did the assessment of the current economic situation in Germany change?
- The assessment of the current economic situation in Germany improved significantly in September, rising by 14 points to -47.1 compared to the previous month. This indicates a less negative view of the present economic conditions.
- What are the main risks to the German economy mentioned?
- Achim Wambach, President of ZEW, cited high energy costs, linked to the war in Iran, and increased uncertainty from hybrid attacks as considerable risks to the German economy.
Read it at the source
16 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
4- Germany: Investor Morale Progresses Much Less than Expected in September (opens France24 in a new tab)
- German Moral Investor Stabilizes in September, ZEW Finds (opens Reuters in a new tab)
- German investor morale misses expectations as war weighs (opens RTÉ in a new tab)
- The German Economy May Be Past Another Low Point (opens Portfolio in a new tab)
Right
2Not rated
10- Economic Sentiment in Germany Increased in September (opens Biznis.rs in a new tab)
- Germany: Mild Recovery in Economic Sentiment in September (opens sofokleousin.gr in a new tab)
sofokleousin.gr — is sofokleousin.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Germany: Fifth Month of Improvement in Economic Sentiment (opens insider.gr in a new tab)
insider.gr — is insider.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Germany: ZEW Economic Expectations Improve only Slightly (opens Moneycab in a new tab)
- German ZEW Sentiment Edges Up to 34.7, Eurozone Expectations Fall to 25.8 - ActionForex (opens Action Forex in a new tab)
Action Forex — is Action Forex biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Investors' Confidence in the German Economy Increased to 34.7 Points in September (opens 1prime.ru in a new tab)
- German ZEW Index Rose Less than Expected (opens Dagens industri in a new tab)
Dagens industri — is Dagens industri biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Germany, September ZEW Index Improves Less than Expected at 34.7 Points (opens teleborsa.it in a new tab)
teleborsa.it — is teleborsa.it biased? Our profile of this outlet
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