According to the current issue of the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report, real gross domestic product (GDP) is likely to have contracted again somewhat in the third quarter of 2024. Output in the industrial sector and in construction is expected to have declined markedly. Despite favourable conditions, private consumption probably likewise provided only little impetus.

Once a year, the Bundesbank invites guests from the spheres of politics, academia and society to the Capital City Reception in Berlin to exchange views on the economic situation and current topics. This year's event saw Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel welcome IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and author Constanze Stelzenmüller as special guests.

Germany’s current account recorded a surplus of €14.4 billion in August 2024, down €3.3 billion on the previous month’s level. This was chiefly attributable to a smaller goods account surplus.

The digital euro is not intended as a substitute for existing products, Bundesbank Executive Board member Burkhard Balz underscored at a joint Bundesbank-Oesterreichische Nationalbank conference where experts and central bankers discussed the usefulness of the digital euro for everyday payments and the financial markets. They also addressed potential challenges associated with its introduction.

Economic output in Germany increased again somewhat of late according to the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report. Benefiting from favourable weather conditions, construction in particular picked up again recently. “Industrial output and exports [also] performed better than had been expected based on the weak demand,” the economists write. However, private consumption remained sluggish in the first quarter. Consumers were unsettled despite the stable labour market and real income growth. Inflation eased only marginally and stood at 2.7% in the first quarter.

Germany’s current account recorded a surplus of €27.6 billion in March 2024, down €1.1 billion on the previous month’s level. This was mainly attributable to a lower surplus in invisible current transactions, which comprise services as well as primary and secondary income.