In November 2017, Georgian power plants generated 968 mln. KWh of electricity. This corresponds to a 3% decrease in total generation, compared to the previous year (in 2017, total generation in November was 998 mln. kWh). The decline in generation on a yearly basis comes from a decline in thermal power generation.

According to a nationally representative sample of 367 individuals undertaken in early October 2017, ISET’s Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) added only 0.2 points, rising from -19 in September to -18.8 points in October. A similarly miniscule change was observed in both sub-indices: the Present Situation Index improved by 0.3 (from -24.1 to -23.8), and the Expectations Index by 0.1 index points (from -13.9 to -13.8), compared to September.

The Georgian Business Confidence Index (BCI)* has increased slightly, reaching 28.0 index points, which is a 1.2 index points gain over the previous quarter. Against weakening expectations, the fourth quarter improvement in the BCI was mostly driven by a notable increase in the Past Performance Index.

The average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian khachapuri in October 2017 was 3.64 GEL, which is 0.2% higher month-on-month (compared to the previous month), and 7.2% higher year-on-year (compared to the same month of the previous year).

In the last two weeks of November, ISET’s Retail Food Price Index showed a significant, 10.8% y/y increase (compared to November 2016). On a monthly basis (compared to October 2017), food prices in Tbilisi’s major supermarkets increased slightly by 0.9%. We recorded the biggest bi-weekly price increases for eggplant (41.2%), cucumbers (20.5%), and onions (16.3%).