Thomas Gitzel has placed in sixth position for the Media category in the rankings of Germany’s most influential economists drawn up by FAZ. The Chief Economist of VP Bank was quoted 464 times by the media across the period under review.

Each year, the reputable German newspaper FAZ produces a ranking of Germany’s most influential economists. The individual categories of Media, Politics, Social Media and Science are included in the overall assessment. As in previous years, Ernst Fehr, the economic researcher at the University of Zurich, emerged victorious in the overall ranking this year.
In the Media category, VP Bank managed to secure the best ranking of all participating financial institutes, the Vaduz-based banking group states in a press release. The bank’s Chief Economist was quoted 464 times in the media during the period under review, which was enough to secure sixth position from the total of 50 nominees. The Munich-based ifo Institute led the way within the Media category, racking up a total of 1,047 media quotes.
“We are pleased to have placed so well in the ranking”, comments Felix Brill, Chief Investment Officer and Head of Research at the VP Bank Group, in the press release. He adds: “It demonstrates that we are addressing the right issues and underscores the outstanding expertise of our team”. According to the press release, the media especially picked up on Gitzel’s analysis and commentary on the most important developments in connection with the economy and world of finance.
For VP Bank’s Chief Economist, the priority is on ensuring quality and timing in his analysis. “Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with its dramatic impact on the economy and financial world, the quality of analysis has become even more important”, Gitzel explains.