Prof. Dr. Axel A. Weber, Präsident der Deutschen Bundesbank, Verabschiedung von Herrn Matysik / Begrüßung von Herrn Tigges

According to Bundesbank Executive Board member Joachim Wuermeling, it is still too early to breathe a sigh of relief concerning the banking sector. “Economic activity is recovering, but the economic crisis only has a delayed effect on banks,” he said at an event in Berlin. Up to now, bank balance sheets had tended to be affected only in isolated cases by the coronavirus crisis. However, insolvencies can trigger credit defaults at short notice.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has spoken out in favour of strengthening the forces of growth and boosting productivity in Europe. However, it is up to economic policymakers to make this happen, he said during a speech in Berlin.

According to the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report, the rise in financing costs and high inflation had a strong impact on the German housing market. Prices for residential real estate continued to rise up until the middle of 2022, but in the second half of the year fell quite significantly for the first time in a long time. By contrast, price pressures came from the massive increase in construction prices and the slow pace of the expansion of housing supply. Residential real estate in Germany continued to be overvalued on an annual average overall.