Central bank improves economy forecast

The Czech National Bank on Thursday improved its forecast for the Czech economy for this and next year. It now predicts the country’s gross national product will grow by 2.2 percent this year, up from 2.1 percent predicted in November. Next year, the bank expects the economy to grow by 2.8 percent, 0.3 percent up from its previous forecast, the bank said in a statement. The bank’s governor, Miroslav Singer, said its interventions aimed at weakening the Czech crown, would continue until the start of 2015.