Annual Report 2018

The BRH reviews the year to September 30, 2018 in its annual report. Real GDP growth was 1.5 percent, compared with 1.2 percent in 2017 and about the same as population growth, which the report says means stagnant income per capita. Year-on-year inflation slowed by 80 basis points but stayed in double digits, at 14.6 percent, for the fourth consecutive year. The trade deficit widened by about 30 percent as goods imports rose 24 percent and exports 8.7 percent, and the current-account deficit reached 3.7 percent of GDP. The gourde closed at 71.0940 per dollar, down 11.65 percent over the year. The fiscal deficit of 35.4 billion gourdes was 180.5 percent above the previous year, with the central bank financing 24.3 billion. Chapters cover monetary policy, banking supervision, payment systems, BRH governance and financial statements.