Allianz Global Wealth Report 2026

Germany: The calm before the labor market storm

In March, the German labor market appeared initially unaffected by the Covid-19 induced economic crisis, with unemployment posting a small decline compared to the previous month. But don’t be fooled by the latest figure, which looks like “the calm before the storm”.

COVID-19 crisis in Europe to put 13,000 corporates at risk

In the context of the COVID-19 crisis, we estimate that turnovers of Eurozone companies could fall between -15% to -25% y/y at the peak of the crisis end of March. Operating margins could be indented by 1.0pp to 1.5pp.

Reading the recession in the PMI leaves

Eurozone March PMIs are “old news” for financial markets but they reiterate the historical  proportions of the economic setback currently underway, with many survey components reaching all-time lows. While a dramatic setback in Eurozone manufacturing was widely expected amid the COVID-19 crisis and already largely priced in by financial markets, today’s release still underlines the swiftness and severity of the resulting economic downturn.