Banking and Financial Markets

Banking and financial markets, Economic and european policy, Macroeconomics, Real estate, Sectors and resources

Focus Germany

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Analyst:

Eric Heymann, Heike Mai, Jochen Moebert, Marc Schattenberg, Marion Mühlberger, Sebastian Becker, Stefan Schneider, Ursula Walther

The external environment as well as monetary and fiscal policy should provide strong headwinds. Sentiment will likely be dragged lower by the increasingly evident structural problems. We anticipate a modest recession during the winter half to be followed by a gradual recovery from spring onwards. We expect the government to survive the internal quarrels with respect to the 2024 budget, following the constitutional court ruling. Debt brake reform is unlikely in the short run. A cross-party consensus for a Transformation Fund 2.0 might emerge before September regional elections. [more]

October 13, 2023

A double-dip recession

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Banking and financial markets, Economic and european policy, Macroeconomics

Focus Germany

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Analyst:

Eric Heymann, Heike Mai, Jochen Moebert, Marc Schattenberg, Marion Mühlberger, Sebastian Becker, Stefan Schneider, Ursula Walther

A double-dip recession. Hard and soft data point to a GDP contraction of about 0.3% in Q3. Despite receding inflation,we expect that private consumption will only gradually come out of its rut, as consumer confidence has remained depressed. While the overall decline in GDP over the double-dip recession (Q4 22/Q1 23 and Q3 23) will probably be less than 1 percentage point, a renewed fall in GDP provides another blow to already downbeat German confidence. This negative feedback loop will likely weigh on the economy in 2024. In particular, structural supply bottlenecks look set to hamper growth opportunities and the energy transition is likely to slow potential growth in Germany towards 0.5% and keep the inflation rate above 2%. [more]

September 28, 2023

Historic first half for European banks: More profitable than ever

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The banking sector in Europe is benefiting from a set of conditions which have allowed for the strongest bottom-line result on record, even surpassing the pre-financial crisis peak of 2007. Rising interest rates have led to a surge in net interest income, asset quality remains sound and provisions therefore contained, and banks maintain tight cost discipline. Capital and liquidity levels continue to be robust, considerable returns to shareholders notwithstanding. European banks have also caught up with their US peers with regard to profitability ratios, for the first time in many years. Further gains in this benign environment may be harder to achieve though. [more]

July 6, 2023

European autonomy in payments: Digital euro is not the only option

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Banking and financial markets, Digital

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Analyst:

Heike Mai

To strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy, its authorities are also pushing for a retail payment solution provided by European players. A market-backed project and a state-backed project have emerged. While the European Payments Initiative (EPI) will build on existing instant payment infrastructure and the wallet is supposed to go live early next year, the legal and technical foundations for the digital euro are still under development. As both solutions could easily cannibalize each other, better coordination would benefit Europe. [more]

June 9, 2023

European bank performance - As good as it gets, despite recent wobbles?

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European banks are running at full steam, achieving the best start to a year since the financial crisis – the stress in March notwithstanding. Revenues have been buoyed by exceptional growth in interest income, while provisions for loan losses have fallen back again and costs remain in check. Capital and liquidity positions continue to be very robust, in spite of ample returns to shareholders and TLTRO repayments to the ECB. There are some clouds on the horizon though: interest rate increases are likely coming to an end and loan growth may slow further. [more]

June 7, 2023

Is lending tight? Financing conditions for German companies

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Corporate lending is slowing substantially but this is primarily a normalization and due to subdued demand at least as much as it is due to supply conditions, i.e. banks’ tighter credit standards. At +8% yoy, credit expansion is still substantial. Only two industries are currently seeing a contraction. More worrying is the drying up of the corporate bond market where net issuance has collapsed since autumn. It is suffering from the double whammy of much higher interest rates and the disappearance of its dominant buyer of recent years, the ECB. [more]

May 26, 2023

Just a technical recession? Really?

Region:

Banking and financial markets, Economic and european policy, Macroeconomics, Sectors and resources

Focus Germany

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Analyst:

Eric Heymann, Jan Schildbach, Marc Schattenberg, Marion Mühlberger, Sebastian Becker, Stefan Schneider, Ursula Walther

With Q1 GDP growth revised to -0.3% we now expect annual GDP to shrink by 0.3% in 2023. With the expected US recession weighing on German economic momentum towards year end we have cut our annual forecast for GDP growth in 2024 to 0.5% from 1.0%. Meanwhile, the energy transition policy is putting strains on government cohesion, as can be seen from the failure to agree on a piece of climate legislation this week. Spending pressures and debt-brake limits add to tensions. Still, none of the three ruling parties has an incentive to trigger early elections. [more]

May 12, 2023

Sovereign exposures of European banks – revisited

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EU Monitor

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Analyst:

Heike Mai

Banks’ domestic sovereign exposures in the euro area ballooned during the financial and European debt crises but have markedly declined since then. Still, with 5% of total assets and 76% of capital, they remain considerable and a risk on bank balance sheets, especially in light of the general exemption from capital requirements and concentration limits. Risk parameters differ between national banking markets, and the home bias remains high, at around 80%, as banks hardly diversify into other euro-area debt. The cross-country differences make it difficult for policymakers to agree on a fully mutualized European Deposit Insurance Scheme and thus complete the Banking Union. [more]

April 21, 2023

Bank deposits in Germany: Highly sticky

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Germany Monitor

Topic:

Heike Mai, Jan Schildbach

Analyst:

Recent tensions in the US and European banking sectors have brought traditional deposits and their stability as the most important refinancing instrument into focus. However, at least in Germany, core private-sector deposits remain a very reliable source of funding, for various reasons. [more]

April 6, 2023

European banks: Solid fundamentals

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