VIENNA, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Austria's strong economic growth momentum seen last year is to carry through at least the first half of 2018, the National Bank (OeNB) stated in its latest economic reported on Monday.
The central bank anticipates GDP growth in both the first and second quarters of 0.8 percent. For the first quarter, this marks a 0.1 percent upward revision since the most recent forecast in December.
The growth trends seen last year remain uninterrupted, and will be boosted by both domestic and foreign demand, said the bank.
Austria's export market in particular will be able to benefit from positive economic trends seen on an international level including in the euro area, bolstered further by the strong competitiveness of domestic companies, the OeNB said.
Positive developments are also expected for the employment market, investments, and the construction and industrial sectors.
It noted that at the start of the year, many of its economic indicators were pointing to historical highs, and anticipates growth for the full year to at least mirror that of 2017, when the three-percent GDP growth mark was surpassed for the first time since the onset of the global financial crisis.
