Deutsche Bank business figures have been providing a reflection of the economic and political situation in Germany since 1870. In contrast to Switzerland or the USA, German banks are unable to present a continuous series of numbers owing to the currency reforms in 1923 and 1948 as well as the Euro’s replacement of the Deutsche Mark as the standard currency in 1999.
Therefore, the evolution of Deutsche Bank cannot be presented as a whole, but divided into several time periods: 1870-1914, 1924-1942, and 1952 to the present day. The period of inflation that was already underway come the beginning of the First World War and spiraled into hyperinflation in 1922 (at the climax of the fall in monetary value in November 1923 US$ 1 = 4.2 billion Marks) was only halted with the conversion to the German Rentenmark and later the Reichsmark. The decade after the Second World War must likewise be discounted, for during this time the Allies split the bank into several divisions, only reestablished as a centrally-managed financial institution in 1957.
The share prices reflect the quotation on the respective stock exchange at the time: until 1945 the Berlin Stock Exchange, from 1957 the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Until 1966 share prices were given as a percentage, then until 1998 in Deutsche Marks and subsequently in Euros. 1995 saw the conversion from DM 50 to DM 5 shares and 1998 the conversion to non-par shares.