The impact of industry 4.0 on changes in the sectoral structures of the economies and equity markets within the selected eu countries

Abstract

The last two decades in the world are associated with the phenomenon of the Internet economy and with the emergence of new technologies that bring significant productivity gains for the economy. At the same time, restructuring processes have started, affecting changes in the sectoral GDP structure as well as changes in the sectoral composition of stock indices. The purpose of this article is to specify in more detail the relationship between the real economy and the stock market in terms of the onset of the 4th industrial revolution within the EU. The focus of our research is primarily on larger EU economies with a functioning stock market. In addition, the article also provides a detailed analysis of the structure of selected stock indices in terms of representation of the individual sectors, while only the German market seems relevant for further research. And it is on the German market that there is a statistically significant relationship between the development of the stock index DAX and German GDP. However, specifics affecting the development of the European market in comparison with the development of the US economy are also formulated.