Germany's key industries are increasingly doubting their own future viability. An Allensbach survey of 169 industrial companies commissioned by the restructuring consultancy FTI-Andersch shows corresponding warning signs.

The results, which are considered representative, are available exclusively to Handelsblatt.

The most important findings of the survey:

• 51 percent of the companies surveyed fear that their business will continue to stagnate or even deteriorate over the next twelve months.

• 60 percent of domestic automotive suppliers have given up on winning Chinese car manufacturers as customers, even though they are becoming increasingly important.

• 51 percent of mechanical engineering companies assume that they will lose their technology leadership to foreign competitors in the coming years.

• And 94 percent of energy-intensive companies, such as those in the chemical and steel industries, fear that there will be an exodus from Germany in their sector.

Deindustrialization in Germany is intensifying

The signs of deindustrialization are intensifying: German industry has reduced its workforce by almost four percent compared to the pre-corona year 2019, according to analyses by the consultancy EY based on figures from the Federal Statistical Office.

Confidence is also waning among young entrepreneurs. In the current Future Barometer of the Wirtschaftsjunioren Deutschland, 77.3% of respondents stated that they were pessimistic about the next two years. A year ago, this figure was 73.1 percent.

The German automotive industry is losing importance. In recent years, Volkswagen $VOW (-0,33%) BMW $BMW (+0,54%) and Mercedes $MBG (+0,83%) have sold fewer vehicles in all key regions of the world, even though the markets are growing. Chinese competitors in particular, such as BYD $1211 (+1,84%) or Xiaomi $1810 (+2,13%) are winning.

Domestic machine manufacturers are facing a historic break. 51% assume that technology leadership will no longer be in Germany in the future, but abroad. 70 percent therefore fear a strong or very strong impact. "The fact that the majority of mechanical engineering companies no longer believe in their global leadership role is worrying," says FTI-Andersch CEO Säuberlich.

Almost all companies in energy-intensive sectors such as the chemical or steel industry consider it likely or very likely that companies in their sector will move away from Germany either completely or partially. The main reason for this is the high energy prices.

Source text (excerpt) & graphic: Handelsblatt, 17.10.2025

The idea of further diversifying my portfolio had solidified somewhat in recent weeks. $IREN (+11,88%) I left it at my self-imposed partial sell target of EUR 55 and started to build up the first positions on Friday. I am sticking to my target of investing around EUR 5k in each position. $IREN (+11,88%) remains in the portfolio with 500 shares and will (probably) not be touched in the near future. $DEFI (-1,14%) Now also full with 5,500 shares.

19k liquidity left and will still be invested in top-ups + new shares.

Individual shares are now:

$IREN (+11,88%)

$RACE (+2,13%)

$DSFIR (-0,26%) possibly increase

$MUM (-0,29%) possibly increase

$IOS (+0,7%)

$KSPI (-0,16%)

$FI (-0,94%)

$FSLR (+3,17%) Increase if necessary

$PYPL (+2,15%)

$CELH

$DEFI (-1,14%)

$UBER (+2,61%)

$NICE Increase if necessary

$ALCRB (-2,21%)

$INPST (+1,08%)

$6367 (-1,38%)

Does anyone else have an idea for a share, possibly also from the German-speaking region? The Asian region would also be very interesting, although I am looking a little at $1810 (+2,13%) look at.

vg and have a nice WE

Micha

• 50 shares $VWRL (+0,55%) bought back cheaper 😎 The rest will follow in the next few days/weeks

• $EQQQ (+0,86%) I'll wait a little longer, or maybe I'll give priority to financing 🥲

• $1810 (+2,13%) and $ARM (+1,05%) minimally topped up. Buy the dip

• $VUSA (+0,49%) - $HMWO (+0,51%) - $BTC (+0,82%) one off-plan purchase each. Buy & Hold

• My $AMD (+3,4%) short has also performed well. My other warrants have very large KO distances and are held.

(of course I'm luckier than I am smart, but on the other hand it's crazy to believe that the stock market only ever goes in one direction 🤭)

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$NUKL (-0,59%) 🤓

After the price rise at $AMD (+3,4%) I reduced my position by 20% to free up liquidity and made targeted purchases at $1810 (+2,13%) and made targeted additional purchases.

So I bought the second installment. After I was allowed to sit in a Xiaomi in China.... I was hooked 😂

Today I have built up my positions in the Chinese auto industry as follows:

$5k in SAIC Motor $600104

$10k in Xiamoi $1810 (+2,13%)

$10k in XPeng $9868 (+0,9%)

China will unfortunately shape the future of the auto industry massively and even overshadow our German icons into the shadows.

As soon as China gets the get the hang of ithow to build a brand like Mercedes, BMW or Rolls-Royce worldwide, it is only a matter of timeuntil they dominate the game.

I have made my first purchase of a Chinese share. I cover emerging markets via the $EXCH (+0,52%) portfolio. I wanted to include China in the portfolio via individual stocks with a maximum country weighting of 3%. What other stocks from China do you find interesting?

I am currently of the opinion that I am in a good position with my investments for the current status. (approx. 1 year of investing)

Now to the individual stocks! 🧐

My main ETF $IWRD (+0,52%) :

Currently, the iShares MSCI World is my biggest stock - but also my biggest problem (at least in my opinion). It's currently too much of a cluster risk for me, as I'm invested in North America with around 55%. 😣

My second ETF $XMME (+0,69%) :

I try to minimize this cluster risk with this ETF. 70/30 strategy... 😛

The China giant $1810 (+2,13%) :

As I really like the current status of the company, I am following developments with interest and the purchase price was very attractive for my financial means, I bought it. With satisfaction. Of course, I also did it to further minimize the cluster risk. So... hopefully I'll be able to sell at a profit at some point! 😇

A bigger gamble $TTWO (-0,52%) :

Well... what can you say... GTA 6 will probably blow everyone away. Of course, I'm aware it's only a small percentage, so either pay the lesson or get lucky. ☘️

My first solid stock with dividend prospects $KO (-1,23%) :

Everyone knows it, everyone has bought it. There's nothing to say about CocaCola. 🥤

My second solid div. stock $SHEL (+2,04%) :

I was able to get in cheap, the company is huge and stable. ⛽️

The bank share $DBK (+0,83%) :

I'm with DB, extremely happy with it and was able to strike it cheap at the time. So far it's done quite well and there are always a few dividends! 💰

And finally... the more or less ugly duckling $SLI (-2,75%) :

The little gamble that turned into my first doubling. One can only hope. Stability is not exactly the hobbyhorse. 🦆

And now for my future thoughts!

I am currently interested in $DTE (-1,7%) (approx. worth €300-400) and letting them run with a savings plan. On the one hand, of course, to further balance out the cluster risk and on the other hand, to somewhat delimit the Asian theme.

My next consideration is $CL (-1,3%) as it currently has an interesting entry price.

Contemporary Amperex Technology $3750 (-1,16%) is reportedly preparing to launch a new 8-series of high-nickel batteries on the market in 2026. The batteries are to be installed in range-extending vehicles from leading electric vehicle manufacturers.

The high-nickel 8-series battery is a type of ternary lithium battery. Its cathode materials contain around 80% nickel, with the remainder made up of cobalt and manganese, which gives the battery its name.

》This chemistry was once in the spotlight《

A few years ago, dozens of models from more than ten brands, including Aion $AION (+0,07%), Nio $9866 (+0,46%) and Xpeng $9868 (+0,9%)were powered by 8-series batteries. However, the technology was still at an early stage, verification was incomplete and thermal management solutions were underdeveloped. Reports of thermal runaway effects were commonplace.

For a while, the industry treated the "8-series" label with caution. However, CATL insisted on not abandoning the development, arguing that abandoning 8-Series batteries would mean abandoning the premium market.

》Batteries with a high nickel content offer higher energy density and lower weight, but thermal stability and costs remain obstacles《

The trend towards larger batteries in plug-in hybrid cars, including range-extending models, has created an opportunity for the return of this technology.

Some of the extended-range models launched this year already have batteries with a capacity of over 60 kilowatt hours. According to 36Kr, plug-in hybrid vehicles, including those with extended range, will have batteries with a capacity of almost 80 kWh by next year.

Preliminary research by 36Kr suggests that at least four models with a capacity of around 80 kWh are already in the pipeline. These include the upcoming D-Series from Leapmotor $9863 and Xiaomi's range-extending model planned for next year $1810 (+2,13%).

While not all of these vehicles will be equipped with CATL's 8-series batteries, the race for larger batteries and longer range in pure electric mode creates a clear opportunity for high-nickel chemicals.

Compared to lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, 8-series batteries offer higher energy density per unit mass and better overall performance. This allows vehicles with smaller batteries to achieve greater range, reducing overall weight while maintaining performance.

According to an industry insider, initial assessments indicate that the performance increase over mid-nickel batteries in terms of energy density at the system level is not dramatic.

Nevertheless, it is worth testing this technology for platforms that have already reached the limits of their technical capabilities.

》Cars are being equipped with larger batteries《

In recent years, the quest for greater all-electric range has led car manufacturers to install larger batteries in plug-in hybrid and range extender models.

Some of the vehicles launched on the market this year already have batteries with a rated output of over 60 kWh.

For example, the range-extended LS6 version from IM Motors is equipped with CATL's "Super Xiaoyao Max" battery, which delivers 66 kWh and offers a CLTC-certified range of more than 450 kilometers, outperforming some all-electric models.

》CLTC stands for "China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle" and refers to a standard introduced by the Chinese government to measure energy consumption, range and emissions《

Another example is the S800 "Xinghui Executive" edition from Maextro, which is equipped with a Qilin battery from CATL and achieves a CLTC range of 400 km.

Almost half of all range-extended vehicles currently on the market offer a purely electric range of more than 200 km.

This trend will become even stronger next year.

Leapmotor's D platform will support 80 kWh batteries for several vehicles, including the D19 SUV and an MPV. Both are expected to achieve an all-electric range of 500 km.

Xiaomi's upcoming range-extended vehicle will also use a battery with a capacity of almost 80 kWh, while Great Wall Motor has confirmed plans for a plug-in hybrid model with an 80 kWh battery and a pure electric range of more than 400 km.