Moderate Development of Earnings in 2002. Cash Flow and Equity in Austrian Manufacturing

Austrian manufacturing faced a situation of weak demand in 2002. According to WIFO estimates, production grew by only 0.5 percent. The WIFO surveys confirm the absence of growth prospects and report no substantial improvement of pessimistic expectations during 2002. The weak demand also affected the cash flow to sales ratio of the firms. Econometric estimates suggest that this indicator amounted to 9.8 percent in 2002, a significant reduction as compared to 2001.