VP Bank Corona-Crisis-Barometer: Public life is picking up speed

Last updated: March 02, 2021

Even if the VP Bank Crisis Barometer has only improved marginally in a weekly comparison, there is good news: Public life is picking up speed again. The number of passengers at US airports has increased noticeably on a weekly basis and restaurants are also frequented more frequently.

The fact that the barometer does not show any clearer improvements is due to the demand for electricity. In individual US regions, the energy demand is still below the pre-crisis level, which shows that despite noticeable improvements, the corona crisis has not yet been completely shaken off. Meanwhile, the virus mutations are causing concern. In the US, the number of new infections has stagnated for more than a week. This can only be partly explained by the easing. Rather, the highly infectious changes in the virus are likely to prevent a further decline.

On the barometer: The measures taken to control the spread of the coronavirus have been drastic. The global economy is severely impaired, resulting in an unprecedented drop in gross
domestic product (GDP). The question is now, how fast the economy will rebound if the restrictions are lifted.

The VP Bank Corona Crisis Barometer tracks how well the economy is recovering.