A nationally representative sample of around 350 Georgians, interviewed (every month) in early July and August 2019, reveals that overall the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) has deteriorated by 2.4 index points since the two previous months, from -15.6 in June to -16.8 in July and to -18 in August.
Recently, Geostat has released the preliminary estimate of real GDP growth for the second quarter of 2019, which now stands at 4.5%. This is only 0.3 percentage points below ISET-PI’s recent forecast. ISET-PI’s forecast of real GDP growth for the third quarter of 2019 stands at 7.1% — 0.4 percentage points lower than last month’s prediction. The first estimate for the fourth quarter growth forecast stands at 5.5%.
A total of 162 of Georgia’s top-scoring students on the country’s national NAEC exam have chosen to study at ISET, constituting the third intake of first-year students for the institute’s BA program. The number of students set to graduate in 2023 is clearly indicative of the prestige and popularity of ISET degrees, and the figure has doubled since the second generation of BA students began their studies in 2018.
In 2016 reform to levy profit tax was carried out in Georgia to accelerate economic growth in the country, create a favorable environment for starting business and production, and tax administration. The reform envisaged transferring into the Estonian model of levying profit tax, resulting in levying enterprises with taxes during profit distribution.
In August 2019, Georgian power plants generated 1,020 mln. kWh of electricity. This represents a 3.6% increase in total generation, compared to the previous year (in August 2018, the total generation was 985 mln. kWh). The increase in generation on a yearly basis comes from the increase in wind (+9%) and hydro power generation (+6%), more than offsetting the decrease in thermal power generation (-8%).