Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition government is heading into weekend talks deadlocked over billions of euros in relief for German consumers hit by surging in energy prices.
Fuel price signs at a Shell Plc and a TotalEnergies SE gas station in Schwedt, Germany, on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. The price of oil and natural gas jumped as escalating attacks in the Persian Gulf threatened long-term damage to major energy facilities.
Bank of England rate-setters cast doubt over the threat of a price spiral from the Iran war on Thursday, even as markets expect three hikes from the central bank this year.
German officials see a risk that the nation’s economy will grow at just half the pace they had envisaged if the Iran war drags on, according to people familiar with the matter.
Internal estimates anticipate expansion of just 0.5% in the worst-case scenario of the Middle East crisis dragging on.
German officials see a risk that the nation’s economy will grow at just half the pace they had envisaged if the Iran war drags on, according to people familiar with the matter.
Internal estimates anticipate expansion of just 0.5% in the worst-case scenario of the Middle East crisis dragging on.
German officials see a risk that the nation’s economy will grow at just half the pace they had envisaged if the Iran war drags on, according to people familiar with the matter.
Internal estimates anticipate expansion of just 0.5% in the worst-case scenario of the Middle East crisis dragging on.
Germany’s Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil wants to force foreign companies to form joint ventures with local firms to operate within Europe, while also seeking tighter scrutiny over cross-border takeovers.
Germany’s Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil wants to force foreign companies to form joint ventures with local firms to operate within Europe, while also seeking tighter scrutiny over cross-border takeovers.
Germany’s Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil wants to force foreign companies to form joint ventures with local firms to operate within Europe, while also seeking tighter scrutiny over cross-border takeovers.
German companies are facing the steepest trade hurdles in decades, driven by rising geopolitical tensions and growing protectionism, according to a survey by the country’s DIHK industry lobby.
Containers on the dockside at the Port of Hamburg.
German companies are facing the steepest trade hurdles in decades, driven by rising geopolitical tensions and growing protectionism, according to a survey by the country’s DIHK industry lobby.
Containers on the dockside at the Port of Hamburg.
Germany’s Finance Ministry is considering options for a windfall tax on oil companies that would capture a share of profits driven by surging crude prices as the US-led war on Iran roils markets.
Fuel prices at a gas station in Schwedt, Germany, on March 18. Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg
Germany moved to cap how often gas stations can raise prices and tighten antitrust oversight in response to a consumer backlash over war-driven price increases.
Fuel price signs at an Aral AG gas station in Berlin, Germany, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. European governments are rushing to stem rising energy and food prices as the Middle East war threatens another wave of inflationary pressure. Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg
A senior German official said he’s worried about risks for the country’s economic backbone of small and medium-sized enterprises if Commerzbank AG were to be acquired by UniCredit SpA.
The German government has been advocating for Commerzbank’s independence.
Fabian Schmitt is seeing a leap in demand from defense clients eager to deploy his mission software.
Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor, speaks during a meeting with US President Donald Trump, not pictured, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Merz said he intended to discuss with President Donald Trump the next steps in the war on Iran amid questions about the US administration's endgame after it launched strikes on the Islamic Republic.
Fabian Schmitt is seeing a leap in demand from defense clients eager to deploy his mission software.
Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor, speaks during a meeting with US President Donald Trump, not pictured, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Merz said he intended to discuss with President Donald Trump the next steps in the war on Iran amid questions about the US administration's endgame after it launched strikes on the Islamic Republic.
Germany’s government dismissed a potential hostile takeover of Commerzbank AG by UniCredit SpA as “unacceptable” after the Italian lender made a €35 billion ($40 billion) bid for the Frankfurt-based bank.
The Commerzbank AG headquarters, near the Euro sculpture in the financial district of Frankfurt, Germany, on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Commerzbank is taking the precautionary move ahead of its engagement with UniCredit SpA, according to people familiar with the matter.
Germany expects to release part of its national oil reserves if a proposal by the International Energy Agency is accepted, Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said.
Germany’s economy is expected to suffer only a minor setback from the war in Iran if the conflict doesn’t escalate further, according to the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin.
A steelworks in Germany. Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg
Germany’s economy is expected to suffer only a minor setback from the war in Iran if the conflict doesn’t escalate further, according to the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin.
A steelworks in Germany. Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg
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