Ukraine’s population collapsed to 29mn souls last year, according to Ukraine Business News, with just 187,000 births recorded (including in Russian-occupied territories). This is the lowest annual figure in recorded history over the last 300 years.
Russia posted a $13.4bn current account surplus in March, more than double February’s $5.5bn and the second highest level for a March since 2007.
Headline industrial output rose 1.8% in February, increasing for the first month in about a year.
Prices in the alcohol and tobacco sector increased by 19% y/y, including the 9.1% spike in tobacco prices as a result of the new consumption tax.
The inflation rate landed within the National Bank of Poland’s target of 1.5%-3.5% for a second successive month
After spiking to 20-year highs thanks to the pandemic and Europe’s Russian induced energy crisis, inflation rates across the EU have tumbled in recent months. That trend has ended and CEE central banks are expected to hike rates again in 2H24.
Consumer prices in Hungary rose 3.6% y/y in March, but services' prices rose almost 10%.
Industrial production increased by 0.4% month-on-month.
Consumer price indices (inflation) in Czechia remained at 2% in March, the same year-on-year growth as in February, which is the lowest inflation rate since December 2018.
Ukraine's inflation rate dropped to its lowest level in more than three years in March 2024, marking a significant slowdown in consumer price growth, according to data released by the State Statistics Service.
On Monday, 8 April, Germany sent an advance team of 20 soldiers to Lithuania, laying the groundwork for the recently discussed establishment of a permanent brigade in the Nato country, Statista reports.
Czech has long been the country with the lowest unemployment level in the EU.
A new analysis by the energy think-tank Ember has found that several countries in Europe could soon face bottlenecks in their national transmission energy grids, as more solar and wind power will be generated than these networks have capacity for.
The ruble is rising to become the main currency for settling Russia’s foreign trade payments, reducing the role of the Chinese yuan in the process, the Central Bank of Russia reported on April 8.
The country’s robust car sector pushed an otherwise unconvincing result into growth.
Winter is over, as the EU gas tanks switch from withdrawals to filling mode again in preparation for next winter. Injection into the gas tanks started on April 1, a week earlier than in 2023 and started at an all-time high record level of 59.3% full.
Year on year, retail sales increased by 3.2%, after falling by 0.1% in January.
Anecdotal evidence points to stronger demand conditions that helped revive growth in new orders and activity.
Russia’s manufacturing sector in March 2024 continued to see a sharp improvement in its health, according to latest PMI reports from S&P Global.
Poland's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) inched up 0.1 points to 48 in March (chart), the economic intelligence company S&P Global said on April 2.