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Growth came mostly from exports, the result of a revival in global trade as China re-opened for business after the pandemic. But national data showed price growth remained stubbornly high, probably leaving the ECB with no choice but to keep raising interest rates. Friday's inflation data showed progress was slow. IMF CALLS FOR MORE RATE HIKESMoney markets currently price in another 70 basis points of ECB rate hikes by October, possibly followed by cuts as early as the start of next year. It also said European Union finance ministers should tighten fiscal policy in concerted action to bring down high inflation, which would probably depress consumption further.

☆ German inflation remains high at start of year
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Maria Martinez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Compared with December, prices increased by 0.5%, it added, confirming preliminary data on both a monthly and annual basis. "Following a slowdown at the end of last year, the inflation rate thus remains at a high level," said Ruth Brand, president of the German statistics office. Excluding energy prices, the inflation rate stood at 7.2% in January. "The rate of food price increase thus was more than twice the overall inflation rate again," the statistics office said. Prices of goods were up 12.7% on year in January and services prices increased 4.5% on year.

Pliant is a Berlin fintech that provides businesses with corporate credit cards. The startup just raised a $28 million Series A, which was led by SBI Investment. Pliant is a Berlin fintech that offers small and midsize businesses corporate credit cards. The company now has a five-figure number of credit cards in circulation across more than 1,500 small and midsize businesses, Rau added. It recently raised a $28 million Series A financing round, which was led by the Japanese venture-capital firm SBI Investment.

☆ German business morale brightens further in January - Ifo
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File PhotoBERLIN, Jan 25 (Reuters) - German business morale brightened in January as Europe's largest economy started the new year with easing inflation and an improved outlook, a survey said on Wednesday. The Ifo institute said its business climate index rose to 90.2, in line with consensus according to a Reuters poll of analysts and up from a reading of 88.6 in December. "The German economy is starting the new year with more confidence," Ifo's president Clemens Fuest said. The increase is driven by considerably less pessimistic expectations, while companies were, however, somewhat less satisfied with their current situation, Ifo said. "The Ifo business climate has recovered significantly for the third time in a row as the easing on the gas market further diminished companies' fears of a severe recession," Commerzbank's chief economist Joerg Kraemer said.

But the headline number masked a more malignant trend, with all key components of core inflation accelerating. "Rising core inflation means that not much will sway the European Central Bank from the hawkish path it set out late last year," ING economist Bert Colijn said. The recession was expected to push up unemployment, naturally dampening price pressures. But employment, already at a record high, is actually going up, not down. "The delayed passthrough of high production costs and a still-strong labour market will sustain core inflation," Riccardo Marcelli Fabiani at Oxford Economics said.

☆ Ex-Bundesbank boss Weidmann to be nominated as Commerzbank supervisory board head
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Former Bundesbank chief Jens Weidmann is to be a candidate to become chairman of Commerzbank's (CBKG.DE) supervisory board after Helmut Gottschalk decided not to stand for a new term in the role, the German bank said on Saturday. It said shareholder representatives of the Presiding and Nomination Committee had responded positively to Gottschalk's recommendation to propose Weidmann for election to the supervisory board at the annual general meeting in May 2023. "It is also intended that he will subsequently be elected the successor of Helmut Gottschalk as chairman," the bank said in a statement. Weidmann, an economist, quit last year as head of the Bundesbank after a decade of fruitless opposition to the European Central Bank's aggressive stimulus policy of sub-zero interest rates and massive government bond purchases. Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Mike HarrisonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Analysis: Investors face expensive quest for year-end cash and safe assets
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Money markets too suggest securing cash and quality assets investors need to make a smooth transition into 2023 will be expensive. But analysts noted year-end is still 1-1/2 months away and the spread tends to widen in late November as demand for cash rises. The risk is any unexpected news emerging as liquidity thins further in December, requiring investors to reconsider positioning. BofA said it now sees year-end German repo 6 percentage points below the overnight rate, which it said would still make it the most expensive on record for investors borrowing bonds then. "It's still early days, but (last year's repo pricing) would probably be the best case already in terms of year-end pricing," Commerzbank's Leister said.

LONDON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Germany, considered Europe's most reliable debtor, is having trouble selling its bonds, just as it seeks billions to tackle the energy crisis. Hit hard by its over-reliance on Russian energy, Germany intends to borrow particularly large amounts in the coming years, with Parliament last week voting to suspend the constitutional debt brake that limits new borrowing. France's finance agency, in contrast, issued 10 billion euros of medium term bonds on Oct. 20 into strong demand. VOLATILITY HURTS AUCTIONSThe uncertainty around borrowing and QT has increased volatility in euro zone bond markets, already rocked by the knock-on effects from Britain's now-scrapped plans for large unfunded tax cuts. Volatility is deterring the banks that act as dealers for German bonds from bidding in debt auctions, Tammo Diemer, head of the country's finance agency, said at an event on Tuesday.

☆ Commerzbank to take 490 mln euro Q3 hit due to mBank unit
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FRANKFURT, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Germany's Commerzbank (CBKG.DE) said on Tuesday it would take a 490 million euro ($471 million) hit to its third-quarter operating profit after its Polish mBank (MBK.WA) unit booked additional provisions for its Swiss franc loans. The German lender said it nevertheless still expected to reach its net profit target of more than 1 billion euros for the full year. Frankfurt-listed shares of Commerzbank, which is in the midst of a costly restructuring that involves cutting 10,000 jobs and closing branches, were down 5.5% after the news. Commerzbank had attempted to sell mBank but abandoned the effort after an auction petered out in 2020. ($1 = 1.0408 euros)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Tom Sims and Sabine Wollrab Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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