EU Cuts Euro-Area GDP Forecast, Sees 6.1% Inflation, Draft Shows
(Bloomberg) -- Sign up for the New Economy Daily newsletter, follow us @economics and subscribe to our podcast.
Most Read from Bloomberg
Goldman’s Blankfein Says US at 'Very, Very High Risk' of Recession
$11 Trillion and Counting: Global Stock Slump May Not Be Over
Whereabouts of Terra’s Bitcoin Reserve a Mystery After Transfers
How Omicron Infection Turbo-Charges Vaccinated People’s Immunity
The European Union cut its prediction for 2022 euro-area growth and almost doubled its estimate for inflation, according to new draft projections.
In the first forecast since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the European Commission will say gross domestic product will expand 2.7% in 2022 and 2.3% in 2023, according to a draft seen by Bloomberg. That’s down from February readings of 4% and 2.7%.
On inflation, the commission predicts rates of 6.1% and 2.7% for this year and next, compared with previous forecasts of 3.5% and 1.7%, respectively.
The predictions aren’t finalized and may still change before they are published by the EU executive on Monday.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and sanctions imposed in response have darkened the outlook for the global economy by sending energy prices surging and straining supply chains that were already reeling from the pandemic. The euro area is among the worst-hit regions because of its reliance on Russian energy and proximity to the conflict.
The rebound from virus restrictions is now expected to be softer than initially thought, while inflationary pressures are still on the rise. Consumer-price growth hit a fresh record last month -- reaching almost four times the European Central Bank’s 2% target.
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
What Happened When a Wall Street Investment Giant Moved to Nashville
Starbucks Baristas Are Unionizing, and Even Howard Schultz Can’t Make Them Stop
How Gillette Embraced the Beard to Win Over Scruffy Millennials
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.