The German economy continues to be weak, according to the current issue of the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report. Output in the industrial sector and in construction got off to a sluggish start in the third quarter of 2024 and consumers are holding back on spending. From today’s perspective, real gross domestic product (GDP) could stagnate or decline again somewhat in the third quarter. However, the authors of the article are currently not expecting a recession in the sense of a significant, broad-based and persistent decline in economic output.

With the theme “Backstage Bundesbank”, the Bundesbank invited the public to its Frankfurt am Main premises for an Open Day last weekend. More than 11,000 visitors came to gain an insight into the tasks of Germany’s central bank.

German credit institutions’ performance improved significantly in 2023, according to the current issue of the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report. At €48.7 billion, aggregate profit for the financial year before tax increased considerably, up by nearly 80% on the year. All categories of banks posted higher profits for the 2023 financial year than they had done in 2022. This development was driven in large part by the significant increase in net interest income resulting from the Eurosystem’s key interest rate hikes.

To date, European climate policy has not yet led to widespread relocations of energy-intensive production abroad by domestic firms, the Bundesbank concludes in its latest Monthly Report. In this, the economists examine the impact of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) on the foreign direct investment decisions taken by German manufacturing sector enterprises. The experts conclude that favourable framework conditions that encourage innovation in low-emissions technologies are needed in order to prevent domestic production from being relocated in the future, too.