By Elorm Desewu
The growth in the Bank of Ghana’s Composite Index of Economic Activity (CIEA) which tracks economic activities in the country, for the first eleven months of 2019 has declined slightly compare with the same period in 2018.
The CIEA recorded 3.1 percent year-on-year growth in November 2019, compared with 4.8 percent in the same period of 2018. This was mainly supported by port activity, domestic VAT, and Deposit Money Banks’ (DMBs) credit to the private sector.
Results from the Bank’s latest confidence surveys conducted in December 2019 showed significant improvement in consumer confidence reflecting optimism about current and future economic conditions.
Business confidence, on the other hand, softened marginally on account of the exchange rate depreciation in November 2019. However, businesses expressed positive sentiments about industry prospects and declining interest rates.
Growth in the key monetary aggregates firmed up in 2019, driven largely by increased accumulation of net foreign assets by the Bank of Ghana. Broad money supply (M2+) recorded an annual growth of 21.6 percent in December 2019 compared with 15.4 percent a year ago.
The increase was mainly reflected in increased deposits, signifying deposit flight to quality, as the clean-up process boosted a return to confidence in the banking sector.
