Serbia’s central bank appears to have little room left for monetary easing in 2025 as inflationary pressures resurface, Erste Group analysts said in their latest outlook. Despite earlier expectations of limited rate cuts, the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) has now kept its key policy rate unchanged at 5.75% for the 12th consecutive month, reflecting the delicate balance between inflation, credit activity,
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Swiss investment bank UBS has revised down its estimate for Greece’s 2025 GDP growth to 2.3% from a previous forecast of 2.6%, citing weaker-than-expected performance in the first quarter of the year. At the same time, the bank raised its 2026 forecast slightly, to 2.4% from 2.3%, reflecting confidence in the country’s medium-term growth path. UBS attributes its positive outlook to three
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Serbia’s central bank (NBS) has continued its gold acquisition strategy with a fresh purchase, lifting total reserves to 50.5 tonnes as of July 15, Governor Jorgovanka Tabakovic announced. This makes Serbia one of the most active gold buyers in Europe, reinforcing its long-term commitment to monetary stability amid global economic uncertainty. “The one who has, buys for times […] when stability needs
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Bulgaria remains the most affordable country in the European Union, according to fresh Eurostat data for 2024, which analyzed consumer prices across 36 European nations. The country registered price levels 40% below the EU average, securing its place as the cheapest EU member state for consumer goods and services. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Denmark ranked as the most expensive
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Coface has published its annual insolvency report for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), revealing a contradictory dynamic: economic growth returned in 2024, yet business stability continued to deteriorate.Despite easing inflation and a rebound in GDP, insolvency rates rose in most countries across the region, highlighting underlying fragilities in the corporate landscape. In 2024, the CEE region recorded an average GDP growth of
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Greece’s economic outlook remains a complex blend of remarkable resilience and underlying structural imbalances, as highlighted by the European Commission’s Spring Forecast and Fitch Ratings’ latest assessment. Both institutions agree on a common theme: Greece is growing stronger than most of Europe. At the same time, however, inflation is proving stubborn, household savings are negative, and the country continues to run the
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Consumer prices in Croatia rose by 3.2% year-on-year in March 2025, easing from a 3.7% rise in February, according to the country’s statistical office, confirming an earlier estimate. On a monthly basis, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 0.4% in March, after a 0.1% dip in February. The highest annual price increases were recorded in restaurant and hotel services (+9.4%), followed
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The National Bank of Romania (NBR) decided to keep its key interest rate unchanged at 6.5% on Monday, extending the steady policy stance maintained since August 2024 and marking the third such decision in 2025. The move, widely anticipated by analysts, leaves Romania with one of the highest benchmark rates in the EU, as the country navigates heightened global trade tensions and
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The National Bank of Serbia (NBS) has opted to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 5.75% for the sixth consecutive month, amid mounting political unrest and lingering inflationary pressures. The decision, announced on Thursday, aligns with expectations from a majority of economists surveyed by Bloomberg, where 14 out of 16 participants predicted no change. However, two economists had anticipated a quarter-point rate
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Prices in Serbia’s hospitality sector increased by 12.3% year-over-year (y/y) in February, following a 13.7% rise in January, according to data from the Statistical Office of Serbia released on Monday. Among hospitality services, non-alcoholic beverages recorded the steepest annual price increase, rising 14.8%, followed by alcoholic drinks at 13.8%, food at 12.8%, and overnight stays at 6.8%. On a monthly basis (m/m),
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