BRATISLAVA, December 23, (WEBNOVINY) — Bank analysts predict that Slovak economy should grow slightly slower next year than they had expected a month ago. According to a regular survey of the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) among bank analysts, banks revised the prognosis of Slovakia’s economic growth in December down 0.12 percentage points to 3.5 percent versus their estimate in November.
Banks leave the prognosis of GDP development for the whole year of 2010 without a change and expect real growth of 4 percent. In Q4 alone, Slovakia’s economic growth is expected to slow to 3.3 percent, while in the third quarter the economy grew 3.8 percent. Analysts leave without a change also the outlook for the development of consumer prices. This year, harmonized inflation should reach 1.2 percent while it is prognosticated at 3.6 percent next year.
Prognoses of banking houses for this year’s economic growth are thus similar to expectations of the central bank and the Finance Ministry. According to last official prognoses, the central bank expects Slovakia’s GDP to grow 4.2 percent. According to its latest prognosis, after the September’s update of prognoses by 0.8 percentage points, the Finance Ministry expects economic growth of 4 percent. For 2011, the central bank expects the Slovak economy to grow 3 percent and the ministry’s expectation is 3.3 percent.
Slovakia should thus again see its GDP growing already this year. Last year, the country’s GDP contracted 4.7 percent in real terms. In Q4 of last year, the country’s economy posted a more moderate drop than predicted at 2.6 percent. In 2008, the Slovak economy grew 6.2 percent.
SITA
