Both American companies in Germany and German companies in the US are upbeat about current business development. According to the findings of AmCham Germany's Transatlantic Business Barometer 2018, this trend is set to continue in the years ahead. Both countries have room for improvement on a number of counts – on labor costs in Germany and stable, reliable policies in the US, for example.

Germany is still an attractive place for American companies, 77 percent of which saw sales revenue increase in fiscal 2017. 82 percent expect this positive trend to continue in 2018, and 61 percent plan to ramp up their activities in Germany in the next three to four years. US companies especially value Germany's highly qualified labor pool, its potential as a sales market and the quality of its infrastructure. They take a critical view of corporate taxation, energy costs and labor costs.

German companies are likewise upbeat about their activities in the US. Good business in 2017 was followed by bright forecasts for 2018. 80 percent of German firms thus expect to increase their headcount and 55 percent their investments. 70 percent are keen to boost their US commitments in the next three to four years. German companies in the US give a positive verdict on corporate taxation and the conditions for both startups and entrepreneurship. Less rosy is their view of unstable conditions surrounding investment planning, labor costs and the need for reliable policies in general.

Since 2012, the AmCham Germany Business Barometer has been produced every year by Roland Berger and the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany. The survey documents the situation of US subsidiaries in Germany. This year, German companies operating in the US were also surveyed for the first time.