According to the current issue of its Monthly Report, the Bundesbank is expecting sharp wage increases in future, as indicated by the following signs: the lowest level of unemployment since German reunification, continuing buoyant economic conditions and high demand for labour. In recent years, workers from other EU countries have helped to meet the high demand for labour in Germany. According to the Bundesbank’s experts, such dampening effects on wage growth are set to subside.

After reaching record highs during the financial crisis, Germany's government debt has declined significantly over the past few years. The Bundesbank is expecting Germany to return to compliance with the debt limit of 60% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2019 at the latest. To better meet the increased statistical requirements in Europe, the Bundesbank makes the case for a more harmonised and integrated accounting system for general government in the current issue of its Monthly Report.

The Bundesbank expects the German economy’s boom to continue, although the growth rate of gross domestic product might be distinctly lower in the first quarter of 2018 than in the preceding quarters. This is, the Bank’s economists believe, chiefly attributable to a steep decline in industrial output in February.

The Deutsche Bundesbank has unveiled a special exhibition dedicated to gold at its Money Museum. Exhibits include a selection of the most interesting gold bars and coins from the Bundesbank’s collection. The exhibition will be open until 30 September.

The Bundesbank has unveiled a new book which takes a closer look at Germany’s gold reserves. Highly informative and richly illustrated, Das Gold der Deutschen (Germany's Gold) is published by Hirmer-Verlag and is available from bookshops or the Bank’s Money Museum. An English translation will be published shortly.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has conflicting views on the United States’ decision to initially exempt the European Union from the recently enacted tariffs on steel and aluminium. Though it avoided an open trade conflict, the agreement reached between the United States and the EU was no victory for international free trade, Mr Weidmann explained during a speech in Vienna.

Contingent convertible bonds (CoCo bonds) are one possible instrument banks can use to strengthen their capital base. In the current Monthly Report, Bundesbank experts undertake a critical analysis of this category of security, concluding that the present design and high complexity of the bonds could harbour the risk of unwanted side effects, besides which the securities are unsuitable for retail investors.

In its latest Monthly Report, the Bundesbank notes that the German economy probably continued its robust upswing into the first quarter of this year on the back of the exceptionally strong orders situation in industry in the second half of 2017.

Bundesbank Executive Board member Andreas Dombret has warned against giving preferential regulatory treatment to green investment. He added that such special rules were potentially dangerous to financial stability and noted that promoting the greening process should not take place through the back door via financial market regulation and banking supervision.

The Bundesbank posted a profit of €2.0 billion for the 2017 financial year, representing a year-on-year increase of €1.0 billion. Distributable profit amounted to €1.9 billion.