CNP’s prognosis is still above the forecast of the International Monetary Fund, which sees Romania’s gross domestic product down 8%-8.5% in 2009.
According to the committee’s preliminary autumn prognosis, Romania’s economy will return to growth in next year’s third quarter, when the GDP is projected to rise 0.8% compared with the third quarter of 2009.
For the whole of 2010, CNP estimates a 0.5% GDP growth, compared with a 0.1% hike predicted in spring. In 2011, Romania’s GDP is seen up 2.4% on the year.
CNP estimates the peak of the recession in 2009. Thus, third quarter GDP will be down 8.5% compared with the same period of 2008, and down 1% compared with this year’s second quarter.
In the second quarter, Romania’s GDP shrank by a seasonally adjusted 1.1% in the compared with the previous quarter. In unadjusted data, GDP fell 8.7% on the year in the second quarter, according to the National Statistics institute data.
In the last three months of 2009, the economy will contract by 7% compared with the similar period a year earlier, and by 0.8% compared with the previous quarter, according to the preliminary autumn prognosis.
The first quarter-to-quarter growth is seen for 2010’s second quarter, when the GDP is seen up 1% from the January-March period, though it will still be down compared with the second quarter of 2009.