German banks applied tighter credit standards for loans at the beginning of 2023, as is shown by the results of the Bank Lending Survey (BLS) conducted by the Bundesbank. Institutions cited not only the higher cost of funds but also, in particular, the persistently high credit risk in all segments due to the deterioration in the economic situation as well as major uncertainty caused by the Ukraine war and by the high inflation as the main reasons for this.

Am deutschen Rentenmarkt war die Emissionstätigkeit im Dezember 2022 – wie häufig zum Ende eines Jahres – schwächer als im Vormonat. Insgesamt wurden inländische Schuldverschreibungen für 80,4 Mrd € emittiert, verglichen mit 151,6 Mrd € im November.

Germany’s current account recorded a surplus of €24.3 billion in December 2022, up €6.9 billion on the previous month’s level. While the surplus in the goods account actually decreased, the surplus in invisible current transactions, which comprise services as well as primary and secondary income, experienced a considerably stronger increase.