GDP growth could set scene for 2018 election
Merrion chief economist Alan McQuaid said the so-called feelgood factor was missing for voters at the last election but that strong growth since would boost the economy through 2018.
The CSO said that, under conventional GDP measures, growth surged by 4.2% in the summer quarter from the spring quarter, and soared by 10.5% from a year earlier.
Ireland is again an outlier in the international growth league, with an economy ostensibly growing at almost twice the pace of Romania, the second fastest-growing in Europe, and by more than eight times the rate of the eurozone average.
The underlying figures also showed strong numbers — a modified figure designed to strip out some of the purely accounting effects of the multinationals still posted a 2.9% expansion in the quarter and a rate of over 9% in the year.
Mr McQuaid said that, no matter which measure was applied, Ireland will likely remain top of the European growth league next year.
