Households’ real investment return recovered somewhat at the beginning of 2019, improving to a now only marginally negative rate of -0.1%. Viewed in isolation, historically low interest rates continued to depress income, but price gains in securities markets helped increase performance somewhat overall.

Despite the setback in the third quarter of 2018, the German economy should continue to see solid growth for the time being, in the Bundesbank’s estimation. The Bank’s recently published autumn forecast primarily attributes the slight decline in economic output in the previous quarter to temporary difficulties in the automotive industry and believes it will be overcome rapidly.

On 1 December, Germany handed presidency of the G20 over to Argentina. The priorities of Argentina’s presidency in the Finance track will be "The future of work" and "Infrastructure for development".

Diana Rutzka-Hascher, previously President of the Bundesbank’s Regional Office in Hesse, is now head of the Bank's Directorate General Human Resources at Central Office, while HR chief Thomas Ollinger has taken her position as the new President of the Regional Office. Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann congratulated the two officials at a function in Frankfurt am Main attended by around 170 invited guests.

This year saw the Carl Menger Prize for Economics awarded to economist Silvana Tenreyro. Achim Wambach presented her with the award, which comes with prize money of €20,000, at the annual meeting of the German Economic Association in Freiburg.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann and Executive Board member Sabine Mauderer say that central banks do have a part to play in forging a more sustainable financial system. But speaking at a conference in Frankfurt am Main, they both warned against overburdening monetary policymakers with climate policy objectives.

The European Central Bank has expanded the options available for visually presenting statistical data. On its “Our statistics” website, users can now deploy a new tool to show statistics in the form of network graphs, accompanied by explanatory texts.