WATCH: Germany is in a “bottleneck recession,” according to Ifo President Clemens Fuest. Sign up for the New Economy Daily newsletter, follow us @economics and subscribe to our podcast . German business confidence fell to a five-month low in September amid a “bottleneck recession” for industry just before voters redraw the political makeup of Europe’s biggest economy in the era after Chancellor Angela Merkel. A gauge compiled by the Munich-based Ifo Institute slipped to 98.8 from 99.6 in August, deeper than economists’ expectations in a Bloomberg survey. An index measuring expectations for the next six months also fell, as did one assessing current conditions. The outcome hints at the challenges facing German businesses even after a growth upswing over the summer months, as stubborn shortages of parts and raw materials bedevil the sizable manufacturing sector while persistent coronavirus infections carry the threat of further disruption. The picture of weakening […]