Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has sounded a warning against attaching too much importance to Germany’s high current account surplus. At a conference in Frankfurt am Main hosted jointly by the Bundesbank and the International Monetary Fund, he explained that it was partly a reflection of the very accommodative monetary policy in the euro area.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann says the Eurosystem’s asset purchase programme should be discontinued this year if growth in consumer price inflation remains upbeat. Speaking to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, he said he is confident that the Eurosystem is on a path towards its target inflation rate of below, but close to, 2%.

The longer euro-area monetary policy remains loose, the greater its risks. In this regard, Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann, speaking at the European Banking Congress in Frankfurt am Main, referred to excesses in the financial markets and problems being faced by life insurers. Moreover, "... we should not ignore the risk that fiscal policy could get used to the very low interest rates".

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has outlined his position on the ECB Governing Council’s most recent monetary policy decisions, which involve cuts to the monthly volume of asset purchases but offer no guidance as to when the purchases will finally be discontinued. "From my point of view, a clear end date to net purchases would have been appropriate," he said in a speech delivered in Paris.

Euro area central banks "can't take any consideration of government financing burdens" when normalising monetary policy, Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann says. "If price pressures rise, then we have to tighten our monetary policy," he told the Wirtschaftswoche business periodical.

The German economy's underlying cyclical trend is fairly robust. According to the projection, this year's economic growth is being additionally boosted by purchasing power gains resulting from renewed falls in crude oil prices and from an expansionary fiscal policy.

The Bundesbank posted a profit of €2.0 billion for the 2017 financial year, representing a year-on-year increase of €1.0 billion. Distributable profit amounted to €1.9 billion.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann believes that particular caution should be exercised when applying unconventional monetary policy measures. Speaking at the European Banking Congress in Frankfurt am Main, he noted that they "come with a different risk-reward calculus than standard instruments as they have more harmful side effects."

Nach Auffassung von Bundesbankpräsident Jens Weidmann muss den bisher ergriffenen geldpolitischen Maßnahmen genügend Zeit gegeben werden zu wirken. Außerdem sei zu beachten, dass der gegenwärtige Anstieg der Inflation automatisch zu niedrigeren Realzinsen und damit zu einer expansiveren monetären Ausrichtung führe, sagte er bei einer Rede in Amsterdam.

The German economy is currently following a growth path that is primarily underpinned by domestic demand. Commenting on the Bundesbank's latest semi-annual projection, the Bank's President Jens Weidmann said: "The main drivers are the favourable labour market situation and substantial increases in households' real disposable income, though foreign trade is currently being hampered by frail demand from the emerging market economies." This is making itself felt on industrial investment, the Bundesbank's economists write.