Czechs yet to feel the strain of the global financial crisis

Economic analysts say that Czech consumers have yet to feel the effects of the global financial crisis. A number of independent analysts polled by the CTK news agency said that while banks have tightened the criteria for loans and mortgages, real wages are still growing, the price of fuel has dropped and unemployment does not pose a great risk for the majority of Czechs. However they predict that in the first quarter of next year people will be fully exposed to the effects of the global crisis, with family budgets burdened by higher electricity, heating and water bills.