Record high of 100,000 German bankruptcies

German bankruptcies hit a record high last year as the fragile state of Europe's largest economy and rising private borrowing led over 100,000 firms and individuals to ask courts to work out their debt problems.

Commerzbank set to buy rival

Commerzbank will today announce it is buying Bavaria's loss-making SchmidtBank for between Ђ60m (US$75m) and Ђ70m, providing a glimmer of hope for the long-promised consolidation of Germany's fragmented banking sector.

Indicator of economic sentiment shows good prospects for 2004

The Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) Indicator of Economic Sentiment, a monthly Financial Markets survey, shows the balance between positive and negative expectations regarding future economic activity in Germany within the next six mon