AI-generated summary
Volkswagen prüft die zukünftige Nutzung von vier Werken aufgrund fehlender wettbewerbsfähiger Folgebelegung ab den Jahren 2031 bis 2034.
Im Volkswagen-Konzern stehen vier Werke auf der Kippe. Für die Standorte Emden, Zwickau, Hannover und Neckarsulm könne keine wettbewerbsfähige Folgebelegung gestaffelt ab den Jahren 2031 bis 2034 gewährleistet werden, teilte VW mit. Für diese Werke würden «parallel und ergänzend alternative Verwendungsmöglichkeiten geprüft».

Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Olaf Lies welcomes the agreement on savings plans at Volkswagen as a sustainable concept and emphasizes investments in future viability and the development of long-term prospects for all locations. He admits that challenges due to international competition are enormous and that up to 50,000 jobs could be lost, with four plants being unsafe.

Polestar has sharply lowered its 2026 sales forecast due to a Trump administration ban. The Chinese-Swedish carmaker will no longer be allowed to sell new vehicles in the USA from 2027. The share fell to a historic low on the Nasdaq and was trading more than 30 percent below the previous day's price at around $8.20.

The five major German economic research institutes have raised their GDP forecast for 2024 to 1.3 percent adjusted for inflation, after three years of recession. The deficit is expected to rise to 4.5 percent of GDP by 2028, driven by additional government spending. Unemployment will not fall below six percent until 2028, and inflation will remain at 2.7 percent until 2027. Exports and government demand are driving the recovery, while private consumption remains weak and interest burdens limit the government's flexibility.

German economic forecasts show growth of around 1.3 percent for 2024, driven by robust exports and government borrowing. But from 2028 onwards, growth is expected to fall to an average of just 0.7 percent, as economic momentum slows down after a maximum of two years. The recovery has so far been based primarily on government spending and new debt, while private households remain cautious due to high energy prices and reform burdens and there is a lack of private investment. Structural barriers such as a shrinking workforce and low productivity increases point to a flat growth path.

The DAX halted its recent sell-off and closed at 26,003 points, supported by a rising Wall Street. Brent oil prices above $95, ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Persian Gulf and high bond yields are weighing on the market as investors await upcoming US jobs data.

The Dutch central bank DNB has moved part of its gold reserves from North America to London. This means that a good third of the gold is now in the USA and Canada, previously more than half. The DNB justifies the step with geopolitical uncertainty and the better tradability of London gold in times of crisis.