Economic news on companies, work, consumer issues, markets and developments in Germany and Europe.
The European Commission has given the green light for Germany to subsidize the construction of new gas-fired power plants with up to €35 billion. The federal government can now support the projects from 2031.
The German logistics group Deutsche Post has officially changed its name to DHL AG, reflecting its growing international focus.
Germany's leading index DAX slipped on Monday, trading around one percent lower at 26,292 points in the afternoon. Inflation data for Germany released on Monday weighed on the market.
In his speech in Wyoming, the new US central bank chief Kevin Warsh did not rule out further interest rate hikes. According to the pre-released speech text, he still sees a need for action in the fight against high inflation.
The number of unemployed people in Germany remained above the three million mark in August. According to the Federal Employment Agency, the unemployment rate rose slightly to 6.5 percent.
Audi, Siemens and other major corporations, along with employers in the metal and electrical industries, are urging the federal government in a joint letter to implement reforms "without delay." As reported by Mediengruppe Bayern, they criticize, among other things, the high contribution burden in social insurance.
Kyrgyzstan has initiated forced liquidation proceedings against 19 legal entities, the country's Ministry of Economy and Trade announced, according to Ukrinform.
The initial euphoria among small and medium-sized businesses after the federal election has faded. Christoph Ahlhaus, chairman of the BVMW, demands clear prospects and a tax reform from the government, as reported by the F.A.Z.
Due to low water levels in the Rhine, shipping is severely restricted. The rail company now wants to deploy more freight trains, but the dilapidated rail network is hampering transport.
Economist Veronika Grimm has dismissed the Left party's expropriation plans as an illusion and sharply criticized the reform policies of the black-red federal government. She warned of pressure on Germany's creditworthiness.
The DAX starts the new week on an optimistic note, as easing inflation concerns and a strong earnings season drive the index. According to Tagesschau, the DAX is expected to open 0.2 percent higher at 26,495 points before Xetra trading begins.
With the Rhine at record lows near Kaub, the Deutsche Bahn is bringing retired freight wagons back into service to shift more cargo onto rail.
Deutsche Bahn is taking legal action against a decision by the Federal Network Agency that would force it to give competitors more space on busy long-distance routes. The agency ruled in July that the state-owned company must free up more capacity for rivals on heavily used lines.
The German railway company Deutsche Bahn has offered support to keep supply chains running during low water levels. This was announced at a meeting of Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger with his state counterparts.
The travel group TUI earned significantly less than expected in the third quarter due to the Iran war and weak economy. According to Tagesschau, adjusted operating profit fell by 27 percent to 234 million euros from April to June.
The German government plans to support small and medium-sized enterprises in 2027 with around 12 billion euros from the ERP special fund. The cabinet has approved the corresponding economic plan.
The DAX is expected to open nearly unchanged on Wednesday. According to Tagesschau, investors are mainly waiting for the latest US inflation data, which will be released at 2:30 PM.
Annual inflation in Ukraine accelerated to 7.7 percent in July, up from 7.2 percent in June, according to the state statistics service. Core inflation remained unchanged at 8.1 percent.
The S&P 500 closed at a record high on Friday, driven by disappointing US labor market data. The index rose 0.6 percent, while the Nasdaq gained 1.3 percent.
Since the 2012 reform, more than seven million vehicles in Germany have been driving with so-called Heimatkennzeichen (homeland license plates). This is shown by a study from Heilbronn University.
German CIOs plan to invest their IT budgets primarily in cybersecurity and modernization in 2026 and 2027. According to a Lünendonk study, 92 percent intend to spend more on IT security.
Germany's Economy Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) expects consumers and industry to benefit from significantly lower electricity prices only in the 2030s. She told the dpa news agency that noticeable relief would not come before then.
Expensive crude oil and high fuel prices are bringing international oil companies enormous extra profits. British company BP has doubled its net profit.
Demand for organic food continued to rise in the second quarter. Retail sales increased by 3.8 percent, according to the Federation of Organic Food Industry (BÖLW).
Associations from the construction and housing sectors warn of a massive setback for residential construction. In an open letter to the federal government, they demand that planned savings in the federal budget be withdrawn.
Inflation in Hesse rose to 2.7 percent in July – the first increase since March. According to the state statistical office, the main reason is higher prices for fuel and heating oil after tax cuts expired.
Germany's state-owned railway operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) reported a profit in the low hundreds of millions of euros for the first half of 2026, after a loss of around 760 million euros in the same period last year.
The Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KV) Rhineland-Palatinate has sharply criticized the federal government's healthcare reform. KV deputy Andreas Bartels warns of painful consequences for patients.
Renewed fighting in the Iran war has driven up oil prices and put Asian stock markets under pressure. The DAX is expected to start trading with losses.
The German government has abolished several bureaucratic obligations for businesses. As of July 24, 2026, the mandatory continuing education requirement for real estate agents will be lifted.
OpenAI plans a fundamental overhaul of ChatGPT in the coming weeks, turning it into a comprehensive super app. The company aims to integrate programming tools and autonomous AI agents to unlock new revenue streams and prepare for an initial public offering.
Germany's DAX index closed 0.7% higher at 25,011 points on Tuesday, reclaiming the psychologically important 25,000 mark.
The online fashion retailer Zalando is planning to cut around 200 more jobs at its Berlin headquarters, according to a media report citing internal documents.
The DAX remained stable at 24,847 points on Monday. Tensions in the Middle East influenced the markets.
The EU Commission has proposed temporarily relaxing methane rules in response to warnings about supply shortages. Violations of the requirements will not be penalized for now.
Italian rail operator Italo has ordered 26 high-speed trains from Siemens Mobility for three billion euros. The company plans to enter Germany's long-distance rail market from 2028.
EU member states, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and private investors have set up an 80-billion-euro fund to promote young technology companies, the EIB announced on the sidelines of an EU finance ministers' meeting in Brussels.
The savings plan for Germany's statutory health insurance funds (GKV) is driving the pharmaceutical industry out of the country, warns Bayer board member Stefan Oelrich in a guest commentary for Handelsblatt. The federal government is thus risking one of the last high-tech sectors in which Europe still leads globally.
Germany's benchmark DAX index is expected to open nearly unchanged, according to initial calculations. Despite ongoing US strikes on Iran and a rally in chip stocks in New York and Asia, the DAX is unable to benefit from the gains.
Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume presented his new 'Group Target Picture' to the supervisory board – a radical downsizing plan involving plant closures and billions in cuts. But the board refused to approve it, as Handelsblatt reports.