Econ update- September 2015

In this report, we have revised our 2015 and 2016 forecasts to take account of a recent flow of data that has generally been slightly weaker than we had anticipated. We forecast real GDP growth to reach 3.2 percent, and 2.3 percent in 2015 and 2016 respectively, down from 3.5 percent in 2014. The high level of spending on the economy, together with low oil prices, will mean a larger than anticipated fiscal deficit, while the current account deficit will be small in 2015. However, the new government deficit financing strategy of reserve withdrawals and debt issuance will ensure a stable and gradual consolidation in public expenditure as the fiscal balance starts to improve from 2016.