KIEV, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine's economy continued expansion in the first quarter of this year supported by the positive external and internal environment, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) said Friday.
The preliminary economic figures suggested that Ukraine's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 2.3 percent year-on-year in January-March 2018, the NBU said in a report.
According to the report, the growth was spurred by the high demand for Ukrainian goods in domestic and global markets, growing investment, higher incomes of people and positive business expectations.
Among the negative factors affecting the economy, the NBU noted poor weather conditions, which have overshadowed the growth of transport and construction industries.
Final figures for first quarter's economic performance will be delivered later by the State Statistics Service.
Ukraine's GDP rose by 2.5 percent in 2017, the highest annual growth rate in six years, after growing 2.3 percent in 2016.
