Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has cautioned against using the Brexit vote as a reason to soften the fiscal rules in the euro area. In an interview with German weekly magazine Focus, Mr Weidmann stressed the importance of member states abiding by shared agreements and joint promises.

The German economy continued to expand at a rapid pace in the second quarter. In the Bundesbank’s assessment, the strong economic growth is likely to continue in the current quarter. The Monthly Report also notes that economic output for the year as a whole could rise even somewhat more strongly than was forecast in June.

Nowadays, a key part of trading on international stock markets is being performed by computer algorithms designed to minimise the time lag between orders and their execution. In the current issue of its Monthly Report, the Bundesbank studies what effects these increasingly rapid trading activities are having on the German capital market.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has stressed the European Central Bank’s independence. In an interview with the Financial Times, Weidmann pointed out that the debate in Germany was too narrow and was not focusing enough on the broader macroeconomic consequences of current monetary policy.

Financial stability is a state in which the financial system can perform its key economic functions smoothly at all times, particularly in times of stress and structural upheaval. Monetary stability refers to the economic, monetary and financial stability of the individual countries and the world monetary system as a whole.

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.