An oft-repeated assertion is that, in the economic and financial crisis, the interbank market fell victim to market failure, denying solvent credit institutions the ability to obtain funding. A recent analysis of the German interbank market now calls this narrative into question.

The December 2018 edition of the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report outlines the prospects for the German economy on the basis of projections for 2019 and 2020, with a look ahead at the year 2021. It also features an analysis of German enterprises’ profitability and financing conditions in 2017 as well as an article on the amount, profitability and risks of cross-border assets in Germany’s external position.