The financial system has functioned well during the pandemic. Government stabilisation measures have shielded the real economy and – indirectly – the financial system from the pandemic fallout.

Die Jahreswachstumsrate der weit gefassten Geldmenge M3 stieg im Oktober 2021 auf 7,7 % nach 7,5 % im September (korrigiert von ursprünglich 7,4 %).

The German financial system has functioned well during the pandemic; the extensive government measures have shielded the financial sector from losses. This is the conclusion reached by the Bundesbank in its Financial Stability Review 2021. At the presentation of the report, Bundesbank Vice-President Claudia Buch noted that, at the same time, vulnerabilities to adverse macroeconomic developments had built up continually, especially risks associated with real estate financing. “Now is the right time to take preventive action against future risks,” stressed Ms Buch.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann reiterated his call for monetary policy as a whole to be normalised if required to achieve the objective of price stability. “Ultimately, that also means reducing large bond holdings,” he said at the ceremony to mark the change of office at the Bundesbank’s Regional Office in North Rhine-Westphalia. Speaking at the hybrid event, Mr Weidmann bid farewell to Margarete Müller, who has headed the Regional Office for eight years. She is being succeeded by Jochen Metzger, who was most recently Director General Payments and Settlement Systems.

Für den Zeitraum von April bis September 2021 meldeten die kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen (KMUs) im Euro-Währungsgebiet per saldo steigende Umsätze.