• Balance of trade reached surplus of CZK 11.0bn. Exports increased by 13.8% y/y, while imports by 15.5% y/y. Lower surplus shows that real deterioration of foreign trade balance continues also in the beginning of this year.
• Average gross salary in the Czech Republic increased by 6.5% last year to CZK 20,211. Taking into account inflation, wages increased by 3.9% in real terms last year, i.e. most significant increase for the last three years. In corporate sector average salary increased by 6.8% last year to CZK 20,333, in non-business sector by 5.4% to CZK 19,784.
• Number of corporate bankrupts in Germany decreased by 17% last year to 30,562, which is the lowest figure for the last six years.
• Slovakia’s industrial production increased by 17.5% y/y in January after December’s growth by 9%. January’s construction output increased, thanks to mild weather, by 24.1% y/y after 17.6% growth in December.
• Retail sales in Slovakia increased by 0.9% y/y in January against 7.4% increase in last year’s December. Turnover volume in January reached SKK 30.8bn.