The Central Bank report on the economic indicators for the first quarter of the year shows that the Gross Domestic Product has grown 5%, up from 2.5% for the same period last year, inflation has been 6.7% for the past 12 months, international net reserves grew by US$35.8 million, the prime interest rate is 20.5%, the average exchange rate is RD$13.70, and unemployment is at 16.7%. The official report says that farming grew by 3.7%, mining by 28.5%, while manufacturing declined 5.7%. According to the Central Bank the construction sector grew by 11.7% and electricity and water grew by 3.3%. Communications continued to grow at a fast pace with 20.7% and tourism by 11.5%. During the period January-March, the consumer price index increased 0.19%, much less than 2.7% for the same period last year.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Central Bank report on the economic indicators for the first quarter of the year shows that the Gross Domestic Product has grown 5%, up from 2.5% for the same period last year, inflation has been 6.7% for the past 12 months, international net reserves grew by US$35.8 million, the prime interest rate is 20.5%, … <\/p>\n