The country’s net international investment position (NIIP) increased to €375 billion or 63% of GDP in Q2 2024. The Belgian economy has a lending capacity with the rest of the world, in the amount of €1.2 billion.

The NBB is publishing detailed national and government accounts for 2023 on 18 October. Following a five-yearly benchmark revision, coordinated at EU level, the quality and relevance of NBB statistics have been improved. 

The incoming information on inflation shows that the disinflationary process is well on track. The Governing Council today decided to lower the three key ECB interest rates by 25 basis points.

You can access the working papers, presentations, and recordings of the sessions from the 2024 conference here. The theme of the conference was ‘Deglobalisation, decarbonisation and digitalisation: how the three Ds affect firm pricing, markups and productivity’. 

On average, over the last three months for which data are available (June to August 2024), the value of exports fell by 4.5% and that of imports by 7.3%. The vehicles sector, in particular, is doing less well, which is striking given that it was the strongest performer in 2023.

Does this famous quote by Jean Monnet apply to the monetary union? That’s the question that principal economist Patrick Bisciari considers in a new article for the NBB blog, the third in a series commemorating 25 years of the euro.

The financial wealth of households rose by €7.9 billion in the second quarter of 2024. This climb was mainly due to an increase in the value of financial assets.