Throughout 2001, economic growth in the USA, Japan and the European Union was clearly losing momentum. In line with this development, Austria also recorded a marked slow-down in its pace of economic growth. While the economy had still been growing at a rate of 3 percent in 2000, macroeconomic...

In 2006, the Austrian economy benefited from the cyclical upswing in Europe. The implicit growth impulse translated in the course of the year into higher investment demand. Domestic demand will drive activity also in 2007, even if the "echo effect" from the positive one-off factors at work in...

These days most infrastructure investment is no longer carried out by governments, but by the private sector or off-budget public corporations. This makes it harder to capture overall infrastructure investment, which plays a major role in stimulating growth and employment, as well as enhancing a...

The early availability of reliable macroeconomic data is becoming more impor-tant for companies as well as for economic policy makers. In order to fulfil this need, WIFO, on request of the Federal Ministry of Finance, publishes an estimate for the economic growth no later than 45 days after the...

Growing at a rate of 2.2 percent, the Austrian economy was expanding less strongly in 1999 than the year before. The slow-down of growth caused by falling exports in the summer of 1998 was still felt in the first half of 1999. However, the second half of the year saw a vigorous and accelerated...

Firms' judgements on the current order situation are still signalling no improvement of business conditions. Output expectations for the months to come have become still more pessimistic. In addition, the flood disaster has led to huge losses in private wealth and considerable shortfalls in...

The first results of quarterly national accounting on the basis of the ESA 1995 system (European System of Accounts) have been available for Austria since the end of 1999. In the process of change-over to the new system, which is now mandatory within the European Union, accounting according to...

Dating of business cycle turning points is an important task for economic policy decisions. Using data from the national accounts, WIFO provides a new dating of business cycle turning point for Austria, Germany and the euro zone for the period of 1976–2005. To this end, WIFO applies a number...

In 2004, there will be three working days more in Austria than in 2003, due to the leap year and the particular situation of holidays in the calendar. An analysis of quarterly GDP data using a seasonal time series model suggests, that three additional working days will boost annual output by 0.1...

After almost ten years of dynamic expansion, the U.S. economy took an abrupt turn in 2000, its growth declining from over 5 percent in the first half to 1 percent in the fourth quarter. Manufacturing entered a period of contraction, whereas the services sector continued to profit from private...