CEIZ index

Source: The Institute of Economics, Zagreb


CEIZ index for December 2024: 3.7 percent GDP growth in 2024 


February 5, 2025

In December 2024, the CEIZ index decreased in value by 0.48 index points compared to the same month in 2023. At the same time, compared to November 2024, the index value decreased by 0.03 points. Compared to the third quarter of 2024, the average value of the CEIZ index in the fourth quarter of last year recorded a slight growth of 0.025 points.

The described index movements suggest that GDP in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to the same quarter in 2023, rose by 3.4 percent, which is somewhat lower than the annual GDP growth rate recorded in the third quarter of 2024. Total annual GDP growth rate in 2024 would, according to these estimates, amount to 3.7 percent. When observing seasonally adjusted data, according to the estimates based on CEIZ index movements, GDP in the fourth quarter of 2024 stagnated compared to the previous quarter.

* Monthly assessment of GDP growth rate based on CEIZ index value is indicative and should be used primarily as information on the current condition and trend of the business cycle in Croatia.


 

Real GDP

 
In %, change when compared to the same period of the previous year
Source: The Institute of Economics, Zagreb


What is CEIZ?

Coincident Economic Index of the Institute of Economics, Zagreb (CEIZ) is a monthly composite business cycle indicator developed by the Institute of Economics, Zagreb. Its purpose is to provide timely information on the current business cycle condition. Consequently, the CEIZ index value changes simultaneously with the business cycle, thus indicating the present state of the economy. The CEIZ index was constructed by applying in parallel a dynamic factor model and a Markov switching model. Details on the CEIZ index methodology are described in the paper: Rašić Bakarić, Ivana, Marina Tkalec and Maruška Vizek, 2016, “Constructing a Composite Coincident Indicator for a Post-Transition Country”, Ekonomska istraživanja (Economic Research), 29 (1), pp. 434-445. 

The CEIZ index is useful in three ways. First, it is a single-number business cycle indicator containing information that would otherwise have to be accrued by analyzing a large number of economic series. Second, unlike the GDP series, it provides monthly estimates on the state of the economy, thus providing information on fine changes that took place in a short period of time. Third, the CEIZ index is available one to three months prior to quarterly GDP estimates, meaning that policy-makers and the general public can observe the current state of the economy in a timely manner. 

The index is to be interpreted in such a way that the positive values represent economic growth while the negative ones represent a decreased economic activity.

 

Attached documents

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