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"Disputes about tariffs and other trade restrictions are unsettling market participants and dampening the industry's sentiment", VDMA said in a statement.
VDMA also cited a slowing world economy as a risk. It said the positive impact of pro-business tax reforms in the United States was petering out and growth in China is expected to soften.
"Business momentum is softening, both at home and abroad", said VDMA president Carl Martin Welcker. "And politically caused risks in important markets show their effects, solutions not being in sight.