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The housing shortage in Germany has worsened in recent years, with rising building interest rates and high real estate prices making access to property more difficult. Current data shows homeownership rates at historic lows.
Just recently, a number caused a stir: a study by the Pestel Institute showed that only 43.5 percent of households in Germany live in their own home. This is the lowest value in 20 years. And the finding corresponds to data from the statistical authority Eurostat, which shows something similar using a different survey methodology: Nowhere in the European Union do more people live in rent (52.8 percent) and fewer in their own home.
This is unlikely to change any time soon - quite the opposite: the recent noticeable increase in building interest rates is slowing down demand for houses and apartments to purchase. As the recently published “Housing Barometer” by Immoscout24 shows, more people are again interested in rental apartments than in properties for sale, especially in expensive metropolises. “We see that people are looking for condominiums, but are less likely to contact the sellers and instead go to the rental market,” says Gesa Crockford, managing director of ImmoScout24.

In the Handelsblatt interview, Paulaner owner Florian Schörghuber talks about the success of Spezi, the billion-dollar renovation of the Arabellahaus, hurdles in housing construction and challenges in Chilean salmon farming.

The G7 countries want to release up to 100 million barrels of oil and diesel from strategic reserves to reduce extremely high fuel prices. Experts believe this step is effective, but warn of long-term shortages.

The DAX could rise 0.3 percent today as high US and French government bond yields and political uncertainty in France weigh on ahead of the 2027 presidential election. At the same time, a technology rally on Wall Street and the planned takeover of PTC by Schneider Electric for over 20 billion euros are supporting the market.

In Germany, around 335,000 academics were unemployed in 2025 - a record since 2007. The unemployment rate among academics rose from 2.1 percent before the pandemic to 3.3 percent, while the general rate is 6.3 percent. The reasons are the rise of AI, the increasing number of students and the shortage of skilled workers in training professions. Expert Enzo Weber emphasizes that studying continues to bring higher income in the long term, while training offers earlier income and lower study costs. The dual course of study is becoming increasingly important as a combination of practice and theory.

This year, for the first time, the city of Munich charged influencers license fees for commercial Oktoberfest posts on social media and collected over 100,000 euros. Around 450 licenses have been issued; the fees are based on the revenue generated and are intended to benefit brand protection.

The president of the French central bank is warning of rising government bond spreads in France and also sees Spain and Italy as potentially at risk, raising renewed concerns about a euro crisis.