Upbeat Central Bank warns on housing supply

The Central Bank has said that the economy is set for continued strong growth, with no immediate signs of overheating, but has warned the housing crisis will remain a critical issue for some time, writes Geoff Percival.

In its first quarterly bulletin of the year, the Central Bank said that economic recovery has exceeded expectations but growth has come about in a sustainable manner. It has forecast GDP growth of 4.4% for this year — 0.5% higher than its last outlook in October — and has offered 3.9% growth as its first prediction for 2019.