Stefan Zeidler believes that the automotive supplier–driven economy in and around Stuttgart still faces several challenging years. But while the head of Volksbank Stuttgart expects a rise in insolvencies, he also sees big opportunities in sectors such as aerospace.

Schaeffler’s capacities in the automotive business are far from fully utilised, given the industry crisis. But there are opportunities for growth in other industrial sectors – including defence.

The real estate crisis is considered to be over, but with few deals actually being completed, momentum is lacking. Ken Zipse from Berenberg discusses the market environment in the podcast „Beyond Billions“.

The billionaire Reimann family is divesting parts of its consumer goods empire. Some of the 12.5 billion dollars cash proceeds from the sale of coffee group JDE Peet’s will be used by JAB Holding to expanding its insurance businesses.

The price of an ounce of gold recently went above 3,600 dollars, and forecasts of 5,000 dollars and beyond are made. Pro-cyclical purchases by central banks are helping the surge.

One urgent letter after another from industry groups is landing on desks in Brussels. The carefully cultivated image of the European Union as a green role model is going up in flames.

The streamlined HSBC Germany now has a clear focus on serving corporate clients, following the sale of a number of business units. Country CEO Michael Schleef explains the strategy in an interview with Börsen-Zeitung.

Labour market expert Enzo Weber explains in an interview with Börsen-Zeitung the current paradox of labour shortages alongside rising unemployment. He also discusses the potential of later retirement, migration, and the use of AI.

US beverage group Keurig Dr Pepper has announced the acquisition of coffee giant JDE Peet’s for just under 16 billion euros. A number of large M&A deals are currently reshaping the global coffee industry.

Strengthening retirement provision is critical given demographic trends in Europe. An early start pension in Germany, and various EU initiatives, need to be speeded up.

UK private equity firm Permira has fully exited TeamViewer after 11 years. It made over 5 billion euros from its investment – but the share price has fallen heavily since the 2019 IPO.

Media for Europe (MFE) has increased its stake in ProSiebenSat.1 to 75% following its tender offer. Last week MFE CEO Pier Silvio Berlusconi met with Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media Wolfram Weimer to outline his plans for the company in Germany.

Ahead of the International Motor Show in Munich, European automotive associations have warned that the planned phase-out of combustion engines cannot be achieved according to the current timetable. Nonetheless automakers still need to go full speed ahead with introducing new Electric Vehicle models.

The managers of the DWS Concept Kaldemorgen fund recently held a discussion group event where they set out their investment strategy. Unlike many of his industry colleagues, veteran fund manager Klaus Kaldemorgen sees upside in German automotive stocks.

ETFs are booming, digitalisation is transforming distribution, and margins are shrinking. In an interview with Börsen-Zeitung, DWS CEO Stefan Hoops talks about growth without further cost-cutting, the shift in investor behaviour – and why AI in asset management is still only at the beginning.

Drastic reform is needed at Deutsche Bahn, potentially including a split between the track network and operators. The special infrastructure fund is a big opportunity for Berlin to set a new direction.

ECB Governing Council member Olli Rehn warns against complacency regarding inflation. There are numerous downside risks, not least because of political developments in the US. A Fed that is no longer independent could lead to turbulence on the financial markets.

The Bundesbank and BaFin have proposed a simplification of regulations for small banks. But careful consideration is needed as to how far the EU should deviate from the Basel framework.

The structural problems in the labour market are there for all to see, but can be overcome. It just takes the courage to come up with some new ideas.

Trading tokenized shares is on the rise. But Markus Fehn of Chartered Investment argues that the market has to move further towards fully on-chain solutions.

For the first time ever, a „Made in Germany“ brain chip has been implanted in a human being. The developer is Freiburg based Cortec. Chief Technology Officer Martin Schüttler discusses what the future holds for the company.

Thyssenkrupp is negotiating with the German government over bigger subsidies for green steel projects. The economic viability of hydrogen in the energy transition is being called into question.