Press Releases

Information about the studies of the institute for the media.

Michael Grömling ·
Press Release ·
19 September 2018

IW Economic Forecast: In Descent

The power struggle between the USA and China is also perceptible in these parts; exports are declining, companies invest less. The German Economic Institute thus adjusts its economic forecast downward.

Markus Demary / Adriana Neligan ·
Press Release ·
28 June 2018

Green Bonds: Clear criteria for a veritable market

The European Commission currently aims at boosting the green financial market by softening the capital requirements for green bonds. This could lead to a bubble, reports the German Economic Institute (IW) in a study. Instead of pushing for rapid growth, the EU should first focus on the planned uniform standards for green bonds.

Markus Demary ·
Press Release ·
7 May 2018

Non-performing loans: Herculean task for the Eurozone

The big banks in the Eurozone are still sitting on non-performing loans worth over half a trillion Euros. Especially in Cyprus, Greece and Italy bank failures are likely, as shown in a study of the German Economic Institute (IW). If the banks were to be made fit for the introduction of the planned European Deposit Insurance Scheme, then a great deal of money would have to be spent on their restructuring.

Markus Demary ·
Press Release Nr. 30 ·
19 May 2017

Launch of the IW Financial Expert Survey

The experts of banks and insurance companies expect interest rates to increase in this and the forthcoming quarter. At the same time they predict a higher oil price and a depreciation of the Euro. These are the results of the first IW Financial Expert Survey of the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW). The survey is the continuation of the former ZEW-Prognosetest of the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW).

Export performance ·
Press Release Nr. 67 ·
18 October 2016

Unit labour costs shape international trade

Even Germany, as an export nation, has to compete for shares on its sales markets. The cost for businesses to manufacture goods plays a vital role in this process. An interactive graphic by the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW Köln) reveals the following: when unit labour costs increase in comparison to the competition, export performance generally declines.

Apartments for students ·
Press Release Nr. 18 ·
6 April 2016

Munich most expensive

For students, in the past five years the cost of accommodation has increased throughout Germany. This is reflected in the new student accommodation price index of the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft Köln – IW) and Deutsche Real Estate Funds (DREF) in cooperation with ImmobilienScout24. In Munich, Frankfurt and Hamburg, students pay the most for an apartment – and state-funded student residences are particularly scarce in Frankfurt and Hamburg.

Climate Policy ·
Press Release Nr. 73 ·
11 December 2015

Not without Asia

The worldwide rise in temperatures can only be limited if China and other Asian countries also reduce their carbon dioxide emissions. An interactive chart by the Cologne Institute for Economic Research shows the continent’s growing significance for international climate policy.

ECB’s Monetary Policy ·
Press Release Nr. 71 ·
2 December 2015

More Harm than Good

The Eurozone inflation rate remains still low. Therefore, the European Central Bank (ECB) is likely to increase its large-scale asset purchase program on Thursday. Moreover, it is expected that the ECB will cut interest rates even further into negative territory. But negative interest rates will worsen the situation, according to a new study of the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW).

Study on monetary policy decisions ·
Press Release Nr. 60 ·
21 October 2015

Fed Increases, ECB Sits Tight

Investors eagerly await the Federal Reserve Bank’s and the European Central Bank’s forthcoming interest rate decisions. When will both central banks start hiking their policy interest rates? A study from the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW) shows that the Fed will start its lift-off this year, while the ECB will stick to its accommodative monetary policy further on.