Bank of Jamaica Releases Inflation Expectations Survey

• The April 2019 survey indicated expected inflation of 4.5% for the calendar year 2019, which was higher than the March 2019 survey outturn of 4.2%. The expected inflation 12 months ahead increased to 4.7% relative to the previous survey outturn of 4.5%.
• The perception of inflation control decreased marginally in the April 2019 survey relative to the March 2019 survey.
• Respondents anticipate that the currency will appreciate by 1.2%, 0.7%, and 0.7% over the 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month horizons respectively.
• The majority of respondents continued to believe that the Bank’s Policy rate will remain the same over the next three months.
• In the April 2019 survey, the Present Business Conditions Index decreased marginally to 127.9 relative to 128.9 recorded in the previous survey. The Future Business Conditions Index also decreased to 145.0 relative to 153.5 in the previous survey.

 (Source: BOJ)