At the end of 2019, Germany’s net external assets stood at €2,472 billion, thus amounting to almost 72% of nominal gross domestic product (GDP). The German net external asset position rose by €345 billion year-on-year.

Gudrun Moede is the new head of the Bundesbank's Representative Office in Tokyo. She and her deputy, Matthias Vogel, were welcomed by Bundesbank Executive Board member Andreas Dombret at a reception in Tokyo.

According to the Bundesbank, the German economy maintained its recent spell of fairly strong growth during the summer months. Writing in the September edition of the Monthly Report, the Bank's economists note that the pick-up in industrial activity is still taking some time to materialise, however.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann expects Brexit to place a strain on Germany's economy. It is in the interests of both parties, he says, for the EU and the United Kingdom to quickly enter into level-headed negotiations on their future relationship.