Companies continue to invest in the US whilst simultaneously seeking alternatives worldwide
Erratic US trade policy is reshaping the strategies of German companies worldwide. Whilst many firms with production sites in the US are rebuilding their local presence following the initial shock, companies exporting to the US from abroad are predominantly responding by stepping up their search for new markets. This is shown by the US special report of the AHK World Business Outlook Spring 2026. “US tariff policy has long been acting as a global re-routing programme for investment and trade flows,” says Volker Treier, Head of Foreign Trade at the DIHK. “Companies are looking for stability and predictability. Where both are lacking, markets are reassessed, supply chains adjusted and investments relocated.”
The special analysis is based on the AHK World Business Outlook Spring 2026, which includes feedback from more than 4,500 German member companies worldwide. In total, the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad have around 48,000 member companies, over 2,000 of which are in the US.