Business Cycle Upturn Interrupted. Economic Outlook for 2011 and 2012

Domestic and international business surveys have been signalling a business cycle slowdown for some time. Moreover, uncertainty about the course of economic activity has markedly increased with the sovereign debt crisis in the euro area still unresolved. As a consequence, firms have turned more cautious in embarking on new investment projects. Hence, GDP growth in Austria is expected to decelerate from close to 3 percent in 2011 to a modest 0.8 percent in 2012.