UPDATE 1-TABLE-Czech FinMin quarterly macroeconomic forecasts

    (adds forecasts for 2008) 
    The Czech Finance Ministry released on 
Wednesday the following quarterly update of its macroeconomic 
forecasts for 2006 and 2008 (previous forecasts made in October 
in brackets). 
 
                                   2006           2007      2008 
 GDP growth (pct)                5.9  (6.0)    5.0  (4.9)    5.0 
 avg inflation (pct)             2.5  (2.8)    2.4  (3.0)    3.0 
 avg unemployment (pct)          7.2  (7.2)    6.7  (6.7)    6.5 
 current account gap (pct/GDP)   4.5  (3.4)    3.5  (2.4)    2.8 
 trade balance (CZK bln)        47.0 (45.0)   75.0 (60.0)  101.0 
 public sector balance 
  (excl. net lending and 
   transformation costs, 
    pct/GDP)*                   -3.6 (-4.0)   -4.1 (-4.0)    n/a 
 end-yr public debt (pct/gdp)       27.5 (27.5)     28.4 (28.5) 
 
    NOTE. The ministry released the forecasts on its official 
Web site: www.mfcr.cz 
    The fiscal deficit projections are under a methodology that 
is different from the European Union's ESA 95 rules, used to 
track a member country's success in lowering its deficit below 
the limit of 3 percent of GDP to meet euro adoption rules. 
    The public sector deficit includes the state budget as well 
as local budgets, public health insurance and various off-budget 
funds. 
 
 (Reporting by Mirka Krufova in Prague) 
 ((For past economic data and analysts' forecasts, double click 
on )) 
 ((prague.newsroom@reuters.com; +420-224 190 477)) 
  Keywords: CZECH ECONOMY/FORECASTS  
    

[Reuters/Finance.cz]