Costa Rica: Decline in economic activity continues to ease in January
Economic activity slid 4.8% year-on-year in January (December: -5.0% yoy). The print marked the smallest contraction since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020.
January’s result reflected a broad-based improvement, with activity in the agriculture, forestry and fishing, as well as construction and services sub-sectors all contracting at softer paces. Moreover, activity in the manufacturing sub-sector gained further momentum.
In month-on-month terms adjusted for working days, economic activity grew 0.4% in January, slowing from December’s 0.5% rise. Meanwhile, annual average growth continued to decrease, coming in at minus 5.5% in January, down from December’s minus 4.9% print.
Commenting on the outlook following the agreement with the IMF, Gabriel Lozano, economist at JPM, noted:
“While the program […] appears to strike the right balance between revenues- and spending-adjustments, uncertainty related to the pandemic and the potential for further emergency spending suggests the economy will struggle for long before stabilizing debt-dynamics for good.”