Merrion Capital: Only politicians can wreck rosy 2016 growth outlook

A second stock broker yesterday raised its growth outlook for 2016, but warned politicians could wreck the rosy prospects by over-promising during the looming election campaign.

In his new quarterly forecasts, Alan McQuaid, chief economist at Merrion Capital, said that the economy went “from strength to strength” last year to expand by a huge 7% last year and will grow 5% in 2016.

Like other forecasters, including Goodbody Stockbrokers, which also this week projected an economic expansion rate of 5%, Mr McQuaid sees a recovery in domestic demand fuelling growth prospects this year.