The net lending of the economy was 0.2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2018, which compares to 1.1% in 2017. Nominal GDP increased by 3.6%, above the 3.2% increase in Gross National Income (GNI) and Gross Disposable Income (GDI), being observed a reduction in the balance of primary incomes with the Rest of the World.
Considering annual figures ended in the quarter, the net lending of the economy went from 0.6% of GDP in the third quarter to 0.2% in the fourth quarter of 2018.The net lending of Households increased from 0.5% of GDP in the third quarter to 0.7% in the fourth quarter of 2018. Households’ disposable income increased more than final consumption expenditure, which led to an increase in the saving rate to 4.6%. The balance of Non-Financial Corporations deteriorated to -2.0% of GDP in the fourth quarter, while net lending of Financial Corporations increased to 1.9%. The balance of the sector General Government (GG) decreased by 0.3 percentage points in the year ended in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to the previous quarter, standing at about -912.8 million euros, which corresponded to -0.5% of GDP (-3.0% of GDP in 2017).