Government's growth forecast may be too optimistic

The risks to Ireland’s economic forecast for average gross domestic product growth of 2.8 per cent between 2013 and 2015 “still lie to the downside,” according to Goodbody Stockbrokers.

The risks to Ireland’s economic forecast for average gross domestic product growth of 2.8 per cent between 2013 and 2015 “still lie to the downside,” according to Goodbody Stockbrokers.

The forecast “may still prove too optimistic, in our view, as domestic demand continues to be anemic” and “given the fragility of the international environment,” Dermot O’Leary, chief economist at Goodbody, said in a note today.

“For these reasons, the Irish government will have ...