German finance policy According to IMF figures, global growth is picking up. Yet so are the risks to the banking system and financial markets, and now even Germany has become a source of uncertainty as it struggles to form a new government. Published on October 12, 2017 12:37 pm Wolfgang Schäuble, Germany’s notoriously frugal finance minister, has a job on his hands at the autumn gatherings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington this weekend. While there will be plenty of back-slapping from peers and top officials as he attends his final meetings as Germany’s purse-strings holder, Mr. Schäuble must also try to convince them that the ship is steady. Because many financial leaders are wondering who and what will come next. Suddenly there’s a question mark over Germany, trusted as an anchor of stability throughout the financial crisis and the euro crisis. Chancellor Angela Merkel has been weakened by the steep decline in support for her conservatives in last month’s election and now has to form what could prove to be a shaky three-way coalition with the Greens and the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP). With their latest figures showing healthy growth in the world economy,…