The freight containers are stacked east of the banking city on the site of the DB transhipment station. The skyscrapers of the banking horizon rise behind them. The aggressive customs policy of the American president Trump can also be considered a trade war against the rest of the world.
Photo d'Arne Dedert / Picture Alliance via Getty Images
The economy of the euro zone increased by 0.4% stronger than expected in the first quarter, the flash data of the Eurostat Statistics Agency showed on Wednesday, while the global tariff tensions threw uncertainty on the trajectory of the block.
Economists interviewed by Reuters had expected an expansion of 0.2% in the first three months of the year, following a revised growth print of 0.2% in the last quarter of 2024.
Figures published on Wednesday, the gross domestic product (GDP) in Germany, the greatest economy in Europe, increased by 0.2% over the same period. French GDP added 0.1% on the three -month section.
Continuing a recent trend, the savings in southern Europe and the small ones have outclassed, Spanish and Lithuanian GDP adding 0.6% each, while the economic production of Italy increased by 0.3%. Ireland’s economy, which tends to have volatile readings due to its high proportion of multinational companies, increased by 3.2% in the first quarter.
Economic growth in the euro zone was dull for a large part of 2023 and 2024, even if the European Central Bank reduced interest rates to stimulate growth and stimulate economic activity. The BCE deposit rate, its key rate, was reduced to 2.25% Earlier this month – Decrease compared to the summits of 4% in mid-2013.
The ECB in March said that it expected the euro zone economy to increase by 0.9% in 2025, slightly lower than its January forecasts. New projections must be released in June, with the Central Bank decision -makers Last week suggesting For CNBC, forecasts would prove to be crucial in the decision -making process.
On the sidelines of spring meetings of the World Bank of the International Monetary Fund, political decision -makers and other economists and civil servants largely noted the American tariff policy as a concern Regarding growth.
BCE president Christine Lagarde Shocks that “attenuate” the gross domestic product.
The European Union, which includes the countries of the euro zone, faces 20% of commercial prices of the United States covers, which briefly reduced these measures alongside samples from other counterparts until July for negotiations. The EU has also suspended its own reprisals for the moment. The block is also subject to additional prices on steel, aluminum and cars.
Data Released on Tuesday, however, has shown that economic feeling in the euro zone has dropped in April, reaching its lowest level since December 2024.
Although growth has been moderate, inflation of the euro zone is approaching the 2% objective of the ECB, reaching 2.2% March. The latest version of inflation data is expected later this week.
