Ukraine: Growth sinks in Q4
Ukraine’s economy continued to lose momentum in Q4, with growth decelerating for the fourth consecutive quarter. According to a preliminary estimate released by State Statistics Service Ukraine, GDP increased 1.8% over the same period of 2016, which was below the third quarter’s 2.1% expansion. Ukraine’s recovery lost significant momentum in 2017, after growth peaked at 4.8% in Q4 2016, due to an economic blockade with the Donbass region, a slow pace of reforms and a poor performance in the external sector.
On a quarter-on-quarter basis, GDP expanded a seasonally-adjusted 0.4% in Q4, slightly above Q3’s 0.2% increase. More detailed data including a breakdown by components will be released on 21 March.