The fact that the inflation rate is higher than the interest rate on the savings account is not a new phenomenon, but has caused the values of savers with low returns to fall in real terms in recent years. However, the difference is greater than it has been for a long time. In March, the real interest rate was minus 6.7 percent. On the current accounts, the loss even amounts to 13.6 billion euros.
We last had a similar situation in Austria more than 40 years ago. At that time, both the inflation rate and the nominal interest rate were higher than they are now. If it stays that way, and developments seem to indicate that savers in Austria will lose around 6.2 billion euros this year, according to the think tank Agenda Austria. Economist Heike Lehner recommends considering the capital market more when investing
Source: Nachrichten
