Q1-2016: Real estate prices up, financial assets down

At the end of the first quarter of 2016, asset prices rose by 3.3% year-on-year. This is the lowest growth rate for almost four years (Q2-2012).

Real estate, the largest asset position of German households, increased in price by 6.2% year-on-year. By contrast, prices for shares fell by 15.0%, and bonds are now 2.0% below the level of the same quarter of the previous year.

Young' households (measured by the age of the reference person) show lower price growth rates than 'older' households. The reasons for this are the low share of real estate in their total assets and the relatively high share of savings. However, the differences are smaller than in previous quarters.

Lower middle-class households still have the lowest price growth rates for their assets. However, in contrast to previous quarters, the difference between the growth rates of households in different asset groups has narrowed significantly.

Please note: This study is available in German only.