Dear Readers, The ifo economic indicator ended 2016 with an optimistic trend. After the decline in November, business expectations in industry improved again. Export expectations, which are so important for Germany, also increased in view of the falling euro exchange rate and the resulting improvement in price competitiveness.

Dear Readers, The team led by Professor Dr. Rudi Zagst of the Technical University of Munich has just sent us the latest data from the capital market seismograph. As you know, the scientists distinguish between three phases in the US equity market: "green" (quiet market = buy), "yellow" (turbulent market with positive expectation = invest, but with hedge) and "red" (turbulent market with negative expectation = do not invest).

Dear Readers, The Ifo business cycle indicator has made up for last month's decline. It is noteworthy that companies are now assessing their current situation better than they have been for more than five years. There is no doubt about it: Germany is in the midst of a veritable economic boom. The fact that expectations for the coming six months have improved even further in this situation is astonishing. At some point in the coming months there will be a turnaround in expectations. Because if the economy cannot (even) get better, it simply gets worse. This needs to be monitored closely, as it could trigger a sell signal for equities.

Dear Readers, The mood in German companies is getting better and better. The ifo business climate for industry has now reached its highest level since July 2011. Expectations for the coming six months are even more optimistic than in February. And export expectations are also increasing. All in all, as the graphs attached show, the German economy is

Dear Readers, The current business situation in German companies is currently assessed as more positive than it has been since mid-2011. In the construction industry, the assessment of the situation even rose to its highest level since reunification. The results of the surveys on the ifo business climate index in April now point to a significant acceleration in real economic growth in areas above the two percent mark. This is also underlined by the ifo traffic light. The signal there is clearly "green". Germany is still in a boom scenario (see chart). This is also reflected on the stock markets. The DAX has now reached a new high and is already being paid at around 135 percent of its fair value. The overvaluation in the MDAX segment is...