Overview
- By the end of September, about €33 billion left fixed‑term deposits while instant‑access accounts took in a record €66 billion, according to XTB and Barkow Consulting.
- Banks are advertising short‑term Tagesgeld offers up to roughly 3.5%, but average rates near 1.28% can fall after introductory periods and are often limited to new customers.
- A Finanzen100 comparison shows €10,000 would grow to about €10,184 after 12 months in a typical teaser‑then‑average Tagesgeld path versus €10,240 at a guaranteed 2.4% Festgeld, with the longer horizon favoring the fixed rate.
- Analysts cite narrow yield gaps—Finanztip lists three‑year Festgeld up to about 2.7% versus roughly 2% for solid Tagesgeld—as a key reason many choose flexibility over locking in.
- XTB estimates inflation eroded around €33 billion of purchasing power by late October, with a year‑end loss possibly near €40 billion, reinforcing warnings that low‑yield cash can lag the 2.3% October inflation rate.