Major Bank Issues Warning Over German Economy

By Staff, Agencies

Germany continues to grapple with challenges in its manufacturing sector as it suffers from higher energy costs, Goldman Sachs economist Peter Oppenheimer told CNBC on Tuesday.

The EU’s largest economy officially slipped into a technical recession in the first quarter of the year as GDP growth was revised from zero to -0.3%. The Bundesbank announced on Monday that the economy is likely to shrink this quarter thanks to slow private consumption and the increasing weakness of industry.

“The predicament that the economy is facing at the moment is really down to a number of factors,” said Oppenheimer, who is chief global equity strategist and head of macro research EMEA at Goldman Sachs.

“It’s… not a deep recession but it’s obviously been more hit by obvious headwinds,” he added.

At the same time, Oppenheimer suggested some positive factors for Germany, noting that “the equity market has been holding up quite well and there are some bright spots, I think, in terms of activity in the economy.”

He also highlighted “opportunities” for Germany’s small- and mid-sized companies, known as the Mittelstand.

“Over the short term, we could see a rebound in the DAX along with a broader range of China-related assets,” Goldman Sachs said separately in a note. However, it warned that Chinese trade may not provide as much of a boost as expected.

“Going forward, any rise in geopolitical tensions or curtailment in world trade would hinder the German recovery,” the note said, as quoted by CNBC.