BRASILIA, Aug 31 Economists forecast bigger
economic contractions in Brazil in 2015 and 2016, estimating a
decline of 2.26 percent in 2015 and 0.40 percent next year,
according to a weekly central bank survey of about 100 financial
institutions.
    It was the seventh consecutive week of downward revisions to
Brazil's 2015 GDP growth forecasts. Median estimates for
inflation and interest rates remained practically unchanged from
the prior week's survey.
    
    
 (pct)                               2015                2016
                       previous       new  previous       new
                       forecast  forecast  forecast  forecast
 Consumer inflation        9.29      9.28      5.50      5.51
 Exchange rate             3.50      3.50      3.60      3.60
 (reais per U.S                                      
 dollar, end-period)                                 
 Interest rate            14.25     14.25     12.00     12.00
 (end-period)                                        
 GDP growth               -2.06     -2.26     -0.24     -0.40
 Industrial output        -5.20     -5.57      1.00      0.89
 
 (Reporting by Silvio Cascione; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)