We explain why according to the European wealth reports “median” Italians are more wealthy than Germans. The main reasons are high savings and accumulation of wealth for the average family until the 1990s, often invested in homes and real estate. Low ECB interest rates finally let the value of the home rise strongly.

Austrians got the recovery after the financial crisis wrong. Monetary expansion did not lead to hyperinflation and a collapse of central banks. Their mistake was that the Austrian principle of “too cheap money leads to wrong investments”, is currently not valid. Due to high risk aversion after the financial crisis, firms do only only best projects. Austrian economists were right before the crisis, but after the crisis Keynesians and Germans with the new European gold standard called “euro” have been successful. Read more on “hyperinflation and quasi-fiscal deficits” on Mises.org.