Tysk økonomi blev igen negativ i første kvartal som i begyndelsen af 2020. Væksten gik i minus med 1,7 pct. Det var værre, end økonomerne havde ventet. Også Italien og Spanien havde negativ vækst, mens Frankrig havde en positiv vækst. Den kraftige tyske nedtur trækker hele eurozonen med ned. Det er den langstrakte coronakrise med lockdowns og sendrægtige vaccinationer, som har skabt den tyske nedtur, selv om ordrebøgerne i tysk industri boomer – med stor vækst til Kina og USA. Aktiemarkederne steg i dag verden over til næsten rekordniveauer.
Uddrag fra Fidelity/Dow Jones:
German Economy Shrunk in 1Q
Germany’s economy declined in the first quarter, according to a first estimate published Friday by the Federal Statistical Office.
Gross domestic product fell by an adjusted 1.7% from the previous quarter, according to Destatis. This decline was larger than economists’ expectations of a 1.5% contraction in The Wall Street Journal’s survey.
The coronavirus crisis caused another decline in economic performance at the beginning of 2021. Restrictions negatively impacted household consumption, while exports of goods supported the economy, Destatis said.
GDP shrank 3.0% on year in the first quarter on a calendar and price-adjusted basis, Destatis said. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had forecast a 3.2% contraction.
The German statistics office also revised the performance of the economy in the fourth quarter of 2020 to 0.5% growth from 0.3% estimated previously.
The German data follows the publication of the first estimates of first-quarter GDP in France, Spain and Italy. The French economy posted a 0.4% expansion, while the Spanish and Italian economies posted contractions of 0.5% and 0.4%, respectively.
The German statistics office will publish the final results for first-quarter GDP on May 25.
World stocks held near a record high and the euro was on course for its best month in nine as strong U.S. data and corporate earnings plus the Federal Reserve’s commitment to support the economy fuelled investors’ appetite for risk.
