Second quarter growth rates surprise analysts

The Czech economy experienced accelerated growth once again in the second quarter of this year, according to preliminary figures published on Wednesday by the Czech Statistics Office. Czech GDP expanded by 4.5 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, compared to a rate of 3.0 percent in the previous three months.

Analysts say this was the fastest tempo of growth since the end of 2015. Lower growth, of around 3.0 percent, had been expected for the April to July period. One analyst described the figures released on Wednesday as a “pleasant shock”.