The House Price Index rose 3.1% in the second quarter of the year compared to the first one, to 102.74, the highest since Q1 2015, the statistical service said.

Cyprus will take decisions over the monetisation of its natural gas reserves by the end of 2018 following explorations by Exxon Mobil and Qatar Petroleum consortium in Block 10, Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis said recently.

Elias Neocleous & Co LLC is a principal sponsor of The Limassol Economic Forum, which will take place on Friday, 20 October 2017. Now in its eighth year, the forum is the biggest and most important business gathering in Cyprus, and has become a major platform of debate on political, economic and business issues in Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean.

PAFILIA Group will find out in the coming days whether they have met the necessary criteria to construct a long-anticipated marina in Paphos, according to the head of the Paphos Chamber of Commerce and industry.

Cyprus' economy, the euro area’s second smallest, expanded by 3% in real terms last year, 0.2 points higher than the forecasted 2.8% announced in March of 2017, the statistical service said.

Cyprus’ trade deficit widened 2.2%, to over €2.8bn, in the first eight months of the year compared to the respective period of last year mainly on increased imports, the statistical service said.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said recently it expects the Cypriot economy’s growth to slow down to 2.6% next year from 3.4% in 2017.

The number of company registrations rose 1.4% last month, to 1,149, compared to September 2016, the Department of the Registrar of Companies and Official Receiver said.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Cyprus’ economy performed “an impressive turnaround” but remains vulnerable to shocks because of high debt levels and to a probable boom bust resulting from the government’s passport schemes.

An opinion piece by Mr. Kypros Georgakis, Manager Funds Unit, Amicorp (Cyprus) Ltd.