In its latest review of business conditions, the Ministry of Finance has raised Finland's growth forecast for the end of this year and for the whole of next year. According to the estimate, the growth in total output is expected to come in at 1.4 per cent this year, whereas next year the growth is believed to accelerate to 2.7 per cent.
In the previous Economic Bulletin published in mid-September, the Ministry of Finance predicted a 1.2 per cent growth for 2003 and a 2.4 per cent increase in GDP for 2004.
In addition to the numeric predictions, the tone of the review has also changed in a positive direction, thanks to favourable signs on the international economic front, notably in the United States and in Asia.
