“German economic output is likely to have declined considerably more sharply in the second quarter of 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic than in the first quarter,” the Bundesbank explains in the latest edition of its Monthly Report. According to the Bundesbank, it can be assumed, however, that economic activity already bottomed out in April and that the economy has been recovering since then.

The Bundesbank registered approximately 58,800 counterfeit euro banknotes in 2020 with a nominal value of €2.9 million, with mostly €10 and €20 banknotes being counterfeited.

Economic activity in Germany remained subdued at the start of the new year. According to the current issue of the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report, this was primarily due to industrial activity continuing to cool. By contrast, the construction sector and private consumption buoyed growth.

Economic activity in Germany has slowed down significantly. Speaking on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank spring meeting in Washington, Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann noted that economic growth in 2019 will lag far behind potential output growth of 1.5%.

In 2020, the Bundesbank registered approximately 58,800 counterfeit euro banknotes with a nominal value of €2.9 million in German payments. The number of counterfeits thus rose by 6.5% on the year, while the nominal value of the banknotes seized fell by 14.3%.

Economic output in Germany could have contracted again slightly in the third quarter of 2019 compared with the second quarter. According to the Bundesbank’s latest Monthly Report, this is due to continued weakness in export-based industry. By contrast, the domestic economy continued to provide impetus.

In the Bundesbank’s estimation, the German economy recorded only modest growth in the final quarter of 2018. Disappointing industrial developments, in particular, meant that the pace of growth probably did not match that of the first half of the year, the Bank's economists write in the current issue of the Monthly Report.