Germany’s [B]IFO Survey[/B] of business confidence is expected to show that firms’ 6-month economic outlook improved for the eighth consecutive month in August. Still, the reading is expected at 92.0, a print below the 100 “boom-bust” threshold, suggesting conditions are still deteriorating but at a perpetually slower pace. Some recovery is to be expected as an array of fiscal stimulus both in Germany and abroad boost domestic demand and exports, but the big question in the Euro Zone’s top economy as well as most anywhere at this stage is whether growth is sustainable after the flow of government cash dries up. As it stands, a survey of economists conducted by Bloomberg suggests that Germany, and by extension the Euro region as a whole, will underperform most industrialized countries at least through the end of next year. The most pronounced differentials are seen against commodity-linked counties (Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) as well as the United States. A comparatively slower pace of economic growth will mean that Europe lags behind the curve as central banks begin to return to higher interest rates, a prospect that surely bodes ill for the single currency.