Preliminary May inflation, 0.4%

The May estimates based on calculations for the first 20 days of the month, point to an about 0.4% inflation, a trend in line with the schedule to attain a 9% inflationary rate for the entire year, PM Adrian Nastase on Thursday said. In case May estimates turn out to be final, as well, the five-month inflation would be somewhere around 3.2%. The Prime Minister at the Victoria Palace (Government HQ) on Thursday presented a report on the economic trends in the first four months this year, revealing statistical data about the inflationary rate, the economic growth and unemployment. Inflation in late April was 2.8% compared with 4.3% in April 2003, following three months when it kept below 1%. First quarter investments in the national economy were 7.2% higher than in Q1, 2003, while loans for buying equipment and housing credits rose 2.3% and 17.1% respectively. ZF