The current issue of the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report reports that German economic output was lower in the fourth quarter of 2022 than in the previous quarter. According to the Federal Statistical Office’s flash estimate, real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased by 0.2% on the quarter after seasonal adjustment. The Bundesbank’s experts are expecting yet another fall in economic output in the first quarter of 2023. The inflation rate is expected to continue to decline in the coming months, but underlying price pressure will remain high.

In his speech at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel highlighted the importance of the European single market. He said that it was truly a source of prosperity and could help to more effectively overcome future challenges. He called for greater efforts to deepen the integration of the single market, particularly in the areas of services, digitalisation, and the capital market. Furthermore, he stressed that credible fiscal rules were essential for monetary union.

Revision of reports for banks’ (MFIs’) monthly balance sheet statistics.