Data
The share of Russians who consider themselves middle class down from 60% to half
The number of Russians that consider themselves to be part of the middle class has fallen as real incomes stagnate and years of crisis weight on confidence, according to the quarterly "Ivanov Consumer Index" poll.
Belarus reports 0.9% y/y industrial growth in January-March
The stagnation in Belarus’s industry continued in March as the country put in the third month in a row of 0.9% industrial production growth.
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Belarus reports 1.1% y/y GDP growth in January-March
The Belarusian economy grew by 1.1% year-on-year in January-March following a 0.8% y/y growth in January-February, according to national statistics agency Belstat.
Czech producer price index up by 3.8% mostly due to increasing prices of electricity
Prices of industrial producers (PPI) in the Czech Republic grew by 3.8% year-on-year in March, up from 3.6% in February, due to higher prices in electricity, gas and steam, petroleum products and food processing sectors, according to the Czech Statis
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Combined net profit of Russian banks soars to RUB587bn in January-March as sector continues to recover
The Russian banking sector's recovery is expected to continue this year. The cumulative profit of the sector is already well ahead of any of the last four years.
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The Russian producer price index rose 10.9% y/y in March
The Russian producer price index rose 0.9% on the month and 10.9% on the year in March after a 0.1% month-on-month increase in February, the Federal State Statistics Service said in a statement on April 16.
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Ukraine economy ministry revises downward 2019 GDP forecast to 2.8% from 3%
Ukrainian Economy Ministry has revised downward its forecast for the growth of Ukraine's real GDP in 2019 to 2.8% year-on-year from 3% y/y.
Slovakia´s inflation a surprise 2.7% in March
Slovakia’s inflation came at a higher than expected 2.7% year-on-year in March, up from 2.3% in February, affected by regulated prices by 0.01 percentage point (pp) and indirect taxes by 0.06pp, the Slovak Statistics Office reported on April 15.
Russia’s industrial output grew 1.2% on the year and 10.3% m/m in March
The result was a slowdown after February’s surprisingly strong result.
Bulgaria’s working age population contracts sharply in 2018
Bulgaria already facing skills shortages as its working age population continued its decline, shrinking by 48,000 in 2018, and the trend is forecast to persist for the rest of the century.
Belarus reports 0.4% m/m inflation in March
Consumer prices in Belarus grew by 0.4% month-on-month (consumer prices rose by 2.2% YTD) in March, according to the nation's statistics service Belstat. Annual inflation fell to 5.8% in March from 6.2% a month earlier.
Hourly labour cost in Romania 25% of EU28 average in 2018
Romania remains one of the countries with the lowest labour costs in the EU despite posting the highest rise in labour costs across the bloc for two years running.
Romania’s employment hits new high, but industrial workforce shrinks
The primary driver was the shrinking workforce in low-earning light industry sectors like textiles, while automakers also cut employment at the same time as raising output.
Czech inflation rate up to 3% y/y in March
Czech inflation increased by 3.0% year-on-year in March from 2.7% in February, due to higher prices of housing, food, water, electricity, gas and other fuel, above market expectations of 2.9%, according to data by the Czech Statistics Office released
Slovakia's industrial and construction production up in February
After a slight decrease in January, construction output in Slovakia amounted to €320.4mn in February 2019, up by 1.7% year-on-year and by 0.3% month-on-month.
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Russia's strong $32bn 1Q19 current account surplus is actually a sign of economic weakness
In 1Q19, Russia’s current account surplus totalled $32.8bn, up from $30bn seen in 1Q18, according to the preliminary estimate of the balance of payments published by the CBR.
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Ukraine consumer prices rise 0.9% m/m in March
Ukraine’s consumer inflation accelerated to 0.9% month-on-month in March from 0.5% m/m in February, whereas annual inflation stood at 8.6% year-on-year vs 8.9% y/y in February.
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IMF almost halves Belarus GDP growth forecast for 2019
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised downward its forecasts for the economic growth in Belarus in 2019 from 3.1% year-on-year to 1.8% y/y, according to the multinational lender's World Economic Outlook published on April 9.
Hungary's core inflation rises to six-year high
Hungary’s headline inflation accelerated to 3.7% in March from 3.1% in the previous month, the second-highest reading in six-years, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office (KSH) on April 9.
Migration to Russia drops to the lowest level since the fall of the Soviet Union
As incomes in Russia stagnate and citizens of countries like Ukraine gain access to the EU, the numbers of migrants have fallen sharply in recent years.