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Czech industry deepens its slump to 1.4% in 2024
Czechia’s industrial output fell by 1.4% in 2024, in a yet deeper slump than the 0.8% registered in 2023. In December, the industry fell by 3% year on year and grew by 1.6% month on month amid a slumping car industry.
Vietnam stocks climb to five-week peak, buoyed by bank shares
Vietnam's benchmark VN-Index climbed to a five-week high on Feb 6, boosted by gains in bank stocks, although trading volume waned. The index closed up 0.15% at 1,271.48 points, its highest point this year so far.
Romania’s retail sales leap by 8.6% y/y in 2024, but outlook deteriorates
State forecasting body CNP expects consumption to lose momentum in 2025 after reviving in 2024 to levels not seen since the start of the war in neighbouring Ukraine.
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Czech National Bank returns to lowering of interest rates, by 0.25bp to 3.75%
CNB also projects the Czech economy to grow by 2% in its new macroeconomic prognosis, down from the 2.8% projected in November, and expects to cut rates further before these stabilise in mid-year.
Croatia records highest inflation in Eurozone as shopping boycott gains momentum
Croatian consumers are preparing for a third nationwide shopping boycott in response to high prices.
Rebound in Kazakhstan service sector activity recorded by January PMI
Wave of optimism said to overcome December slump thanks to strong growth in new orders.
Have Russia’s prime interests passed peak? CBR lowers rate forecast for 2025 to 20.5%
Has Russia’s prime interest rate peaked? The Central Bank of Russia says analysts have lowered their forecast for interested rates in 2025 to 20.5% in its latest monthly macroeconomic survey of professional economists.
Total Russian car sales up by more than half in 2024
The sale of new passenger cars in Russia was up by 56% in 2024 and grew by another 9% y/y in January.
Russia’s economy defies wave of bankruptcy fears with fastest private sector PMI growth in a year
Russia’s services and manufacturing sectors expanded at their fastest pace in a year in January, driven by improved demand conditions and a sharp rise in new orders, according to the latest Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data from S&P Global.
Most of USAID aid goes to Ukraine
US President Donald Trump has suspended the distribution of aid via USAID. Ukraine is currently its biggest recipient, reports Statista.
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Kazakh manufacturing growth decelerates from end-of-year high, but continues to expand, PMI shows
Producers still securing greater volumes of new orders. Near-stabilisation in supply chains.
“Disappointing” PMI data shows solid scaleback of Turkish manufacturing in January
No take-off as demand conditions remain subdued.
Serbia’s birth rate hits historic low in 2024
Serbia's population is expected to drop from 6.7mn in 2022 to just 5.2mn by 2052.
Russian manufacturing PMI growth up a robust 53.1 points in January from 50.8 points a month earlier
Russia’s manufacturing sector expanded at its fastest pace in six months in January, driven by a surge in domestic demand and a rise in new orders, according to the latest S&P Global Russia Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index data.
Polish manufacturers start 2025 on slightly more upbeat note
Poland's Purchasing Managers' Index increased 0.6 points to 48.8 in January, the economic intelligence company S&P Global said on February 3 (chart).
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Czech PMI improves to 46.6 in January
The figure was up on 44.8 registered in December and 46 registered in November, but still below the 50-point mark separating growth and decline, where the index has remained since June 2022.
Turkey's official headline inflation slows to 42% y/y in January
"Unofficial" calculation from ENAG shows figure of 81%. Monthly inflation moves up partly on minimum wage hike.
Ukraine’s alarming demographics turn on how many refugees return home after the war
Demographic data paint an alarming picture of Ukraine’s collapsing demographics, a problem that will be made worse by the fact that as time passes, fewer and fewer of the some 8mn Ukrainian refugees outside the country are likely to come home.
India’s digital economy to surpass agriculture and manufacturing sectors
India’s digital economy is projected to account for nearly 20% of the country’s GDP by fiscal year 2029-30, overtaking agriculture and manufacturing within six years.
Gold prices in Pakistan hit record high
Gold prices in Pakistan have reached a new all-time high following a $15 increase in the international bullion market, which pushed the price to $2,778 per ounce