Der EZB-Rat hat heute beschlossen, die drei Leitzinssätze der EZB um jeweils 50 Basispunkte anzuheben, und aufgrund der erheblich nach oben korrigierten Inflationsaussichten gehen wir davon aus, dass wir sie weiter erhöhen werden. 

Germany’s current account surplus dropped by €2 billion to €245½ billion in 2019. As a percentage of German gross domestic product (GDP), the balance sank to 7¼ percent.

The advantages or disadvantages firms experience as a result of their size, referred to in the economic literature as returns to scale, are of central importance in many economic models. Increasing returns to scale, whereby unit costs decrease as output volume increases, could explain productivity differences between Europe and the United States. We present fresh evidence on the returns to scale of European firms: most exhibit constant returns to scale, but a non-trivial share also show increasing returns to scale.

Times of strong growth and low interest rates have seen vulnerabilities build up in the German financial system. In addition, the probability of an economic downturn has increased. “Now is the time to build up sufficient capital and strengthen the financial system’s defences,” said Bundesbank Vice-President Claudia Buch at the press conference on the publication of the new Financial Stability Review.