House prices in Germany fell significantly in 2023, according to the Bundesbank’s current Monthly Report. Residential properties were no longer affordable for many people owing to high inflation and increased interest rates. Demand for housing declined, increasingly shifting to the rental market, and the already high inflation in rents saw a significant further acceleration, the economists write. Overvaluations in the real estate market came down in 2023, but were not fully eliminated. The authors therefore believe that there is still a certain risk of price corrections.

Die Leistungsbilanz wies im Dezember 2023 einen Überschuss von 32 Mrd. € auf (nach 22 Mrd. € im Vormonat).

German economic output contracted in the final quarter of 2023, according to the February Monthly Report. Weak demand from abroad was still putting a strain on industry, while higher financing costs continued to dampen investment. Bundesbank economists believe that uncertainty about transformation and climate policy is also likely to have weighed on economic activity. Some headwinds will probably persist into the first quarter of 2024 as well. Economic output could therefore decline again somewhat.