The growth forecast for the third quarter of 2015 has not changed since last month and remains at 2.6%. The first forecast for the fourth quarter growth of 2015 has been targeted at 3.8%.

In August, the average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian khachapuri jumped to 3.49 GEL, which is 11.4% higher month-on-month (m/m, that is compared to July 2015), and 7% higher year-on-year (y/y, that is compared to August 2014).

The lari depreciation caused a significant decrease in sale and rental prices in dollar terms. Rental prices slightly increased in August and September before the start of the new academic year. The commercial market turned out to be more resistent to the effects of currency depreciation.

In August 2015, the average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian Khachapuri reached 3.49GEL, which is 11.4% higher month-on-month (compared to July 2015), and 7% higher year-on-year (compared to August 2014). Two factors combined in August to push the Khachapuri index upwards. On the one hand, the Index is up due to a seasonal decline in the supply of cheese – the main (and most expensive) khachapuri ingredient.

The Georgian Lari has lost in value during the last couple of weeks, but, perhaps surprisingly, this has not yet translated into higher food prices. According to the latest results of ISET's Retail Food Price Index (FPI), the prices of food staples sold in the main Georgian supermarket chains have actually decreased by 0.6% during the last week of August (Aug 22-29).