Brazil’s economy would grow0.2 percent this year and 5.8 percent in 2010, the country’s Central Bank said Tuesday.
The central bank’s forecast was more optimistic than the weekly Focus market survey issued on Monday, which expected a 0.23-percent economic contraction this year and a growth of 5.03 percent next year.
Economic growth in 2010 would be reflected in all sectors of the economy, with the agricultural sector up 3.7 percent, the industrial sector up 7.6 percent and the tertiary sector up 5 percent, the bank said.
Inflation was forecast to reach 4.3 percent this year and 4.6 percent in 2010, according to the central bank’s quarterly inflation report. The inflation rate so far in 2009 was 3.93 percent.
Brazil’s unemployment rate would drop from 8.1 percent in 2009 to 7.8 percent in 2010, the central bank added.
If the projections are confirmed, next year’s unemployment rate will be the lowest registered in the country.