Lament and Prayer

100 renowned cantors form the US, Israel and other countries are to perform at the National Opera in Warsaw on June 30. They will be accompanied by the National Opera Choir and Orchestra and Alla Polacca Children’s Choir.

An honorary patronag over the event is extended by Prof. Władysław Bartoszewski, Secretary of State at the Prime Minister’s Office, Radosław Sikorski, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Bogdan Zdrojewski, Minister of Culture and National Heritage. The concert will present Jewish vocal pieces and the first public performance of ‘Lament and Prayer’ by Charles Fox, conductor and composer, inspired by words jotted down by Pope John Paul II on a piece of paper in front of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. (MP)

Polish Market

ECONOMIC MONITOR

download pdf

• ● In December 2009 and January 2010, as in previous months in the second half of 2009, the Polish economy stood out against other countries in terms of GDP growth. Poland’s economic growth was higher than projected and higher than in other European countries.
read more »

• In 2009 construction output increased by 3.7%.
read more »

• Retail sales increase in most product groups.
read more »

• On the Warsaw Stock Exchange, stock prices were very volatile in January 2010.
read more »

• At the end of December 2009 the registered unemployment rate (claimant count rate) amounted to 11.9% versus 11.4% in November.
read more »

• At the end of January the president signed the 2010 budget bill into law. The bill was adopted by the parliament on December 18.
read more »

• In the fourth quarter of 2009 the Polish economy turned out to be more resistant to the global crisis than had been projected and than the economies of Polish neighbours, something which boosts optimism in forecasts for 2010 and the next years.
read more »

PODCAST

• Why do Israeli property developers pick Poland?

• New Polish president’s economic priorities

• Storm over homoerotic art show at Warsaw’s National Museum

• Poland’s new president Bronislaw Komorowski: a pragmatic, pro-business, euroenthusiast

• Poland and OECD innovation strategy

• How to make the Polish economy more innovative?

COMING UP

18th International Defence Industry Exhibition >>

WEEKLY MARKET ANALYSIS

Retail sales up again in June
Retail sales growth in nominal terms accelerated in June to 6.4% y-o-y from 4.3% y-o-y in May. The increase was higher than expected. In real terms, retail sales growth accelerated to 4.5% y-o-y from 2.0% y-o-y. June was a consecutive month with retail sales figures stronger than expected, which indicates that consumption is recovering after it slowed significantly at the beginning of the year. Private consumption is driven by an improvement on the labour market coupled with a rise in disposable incomes. In Q2 2010 retail sales grew by around 3% y-o-y in nominal terms and around 1% y-o-y in real terms. On the basis of retail sales and industrial production data, it can be estimated that the GDP growth rate was close to 3%.

MARKET INFO