German industry coping better with bottlenecks - ministry

BERLIN - German industry appears to be coping better with supply bottlenecks for important intermediate goods and raw materials, the economy ministry said on Monday.

Industrial companies expect bottlenecks to ease around midyear, which, paired with high order backlogs, is making for a more positive outlook, the ministry said in its monthly report.

It added that an easing of supply bottlenecks along with somewhat lower energy prices should reduce inflationary pressure.