During the period from February to November 2025, German companies invested about €10.2 billion (US$11.1 billion) in the United States, below the nearly €19 billion in the same period of the previous year
BERLIN, 19 Jan (Reuters) – German companies pulled back on investments and exports to the United States during the first year of the second term of U.S. President Donald Trump, affected by trade uncertainty and higher tariffs, according to a report from the German Economic Institute (IW) seen by Reuters on Monday.
During the period from February to November 2025, German companies invested about €10.2 billion (US$11.1 billion) in the United States, below the almost €19 billion in the same period of the previous year, a drop of approximately 45%, the study showed, using data from the German Bundesbank.
As direct investment flows tend to fluctuate greatly, the IW also compared the numbers with the average value of the reference period 2015 to 2024, which was about €13.4 billion.
‘Even in relation to this, the value since Trump assumed office has fallen by more than 24%,’ said the IW researcher Samina Sultan.
German exports to the US also weakened, with shipments falling 8.6% between February and October 2025 compared with the same period of the previous year, said the IW, the sharpest drop since 2010 outside the Covid-19 period.
The report said that companies were uneasy about the change in US trade policy and threats of additional tariffs.
