Data of Lithuania's Ministry of Finance shows that the country's general government deficit in 2014 accounted for 0.7% of GDP and was by 1.9 percentage point smaller than in 2013.

Lithuania's largest retail chain Maxima is planning to hire around 1,000 new employees for the upcoming summer season 2015. This is by a fifth more than the chain employs during off-season.

Despite the Ukraine conflict, German companies continue to believe in the good prospects of the three Baltic markets. Nine out of ten German investors participating in the recent survey of the AHK Baltic States would re-invest in the region, reports BC Invest Lietuva.

In the first quarter of 2015, furniture manufacturer AB Vilniaus Baldai posted revenue of EUR 16.5 million, while net profit amounted to EUR 818,000.

According to preliminary data, unaudited net profit earned over the first quarter of the year 2015 by AB SEB Bankas is EUR 18.4 million and by AB SEB Bankas Group is EUR 18.2 million. The result has been calculated in accordance with the requirements set by the acts of the Bank of Lithuania and legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania.

Swedbank has increased its average inflation forecast for Latvia in 2015 to 0.8%. Swedbank's economic growth forecast for Latvia remains unchanged - economy to grow 1.9% in 2015. The economic growth projections for the other Baltic countries are similar to that for Latvia – 2.1% in Estonia and 2.3% in Lithuania.

Major timber processors claim that they will stop the planned investments in Lithuania and perhaps direct them to neighbouring Poland and Belarus.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius says the minimum monthly wage may be increased for the second time to EUR 350 since January 2016.

Based on preliminarily data of the Centre of Registers, 7,900 real estate transactions were recorded in Lithuania in March 2015, by 15.8% more compared to February, but by 23.7% fewer than in March 2014.

The consumer price level in Latvia in March 2015, compared with the same month of the previous year, increased 0.5%, which was the fourth highest increase in the EU, according to the latest data from the EU's statistical office Eurostat.