May 12, 2021

According to the latest Allianz Global Insurance Report, the insurance industry got off relatively lightly during the Corona crisis: in 2020, global premium income fell by only 2.1%. Property insurance even recorded a small increase of 1.1%, while life business slumped by 4.1%.

May 07, 2021

In the long run, most sectors have (some) pricing power. By comparing the evolution of retail prices with changes in producer prices, we find that only five out of 19 sectors (textiles, household appliances, cleaning products, telephone services and restaurants) lack long-term pricing power. We also find that consumer electronics, pharmaceuticals and airlines have the most pricing power among our sample.

May 05, 2021

The fiscal burdens from Germany’s ambitious climate policies pile up only after 2030. In recognizing this, and labelling the 2019 climate protection law as partly unconstitutional as a result, Germany's Constitutional Court attempts to hardwire future generations’ interests into the political process.

Apr 29, 2021

In 2021, the glut of excess savings could generate a double dividend for the Eurozone: first, a consumption boom of EUR170bn, or 1.5% of GDP. In 2020, gross savings in the Eurozone increased by more than +50%, and “excess savings” stood at more than EUR450bn, or over 4% of GDP, thanks to reduced spending on services amid renewed lockdowns.

Apr 26, 2021

What effect do changes in inflation have on equity performance? What do we expect moving forward? Historically, monetary and fiscal easing periods tend to be favorable for equity investors, as equity tends to generate decent returns in periods of accelerating, but still manageable, reflationary pressures.

Apr 22, 2021

In the short run, a demand catch-up and the reduction in spare capacities will drive a business investment recovery… With the progressive easing of sanitary restrictions, normalizing capacity utilization levels will push up business investment by +18.4% in the UK, +5.4% in France, +4.0% in the US and +2.5% in Germany.