Economic Indices May Have Hit Bottom

The economic indices on production, consumption and investment are showing a remarkably steady progress recently after a prolonged slump since the International Monetary Fund(IMF) bailout.
The industrial production rates in the fourth quarter of 1998 marked a continuous rise which may have signified the long-awaited turnaround point in the economic slump.
According to the Bureau of Statistics on January 28, exports on metallurgical products and automobiles boosted the whole industrial production rate up 4.7 percent in December 1998.
This is the biggest increase since October 1997's 9.2 percent rise. The average production capacity rate late last year marked 70.5 percent, the first time an above 70 percent has been attained since the IMF bailout.
However, the domestic construction industry is still in a pronounced slump with a negative 47.5 percent decline in receiving orders.