Emerging Europe Data Response Russia CPI (Sep.) The small decline in Russian inflation last month, to 15.7% y/y, was reassuring in light of the fresh fall in the ruble. But even so, inflation remains extremely high and against this backdrop there... 5th October 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Time to worry about FX debt in Russia? The fall in the ruble has led to a sharp increase in the foreign currency debt burden for Russian companies. The risks are mitigated to some extent by the fact that the debt is concentrated among... 2nd October 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Credit conditions in Russia to remain tight for some time Credit conditions in Russia have tightened substantially over the past six months or so, with households and SMEs being particularly hard hit. We don’t expect a significant turnaround anytime soon... 25th September 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Russia Retail Sales, Investment & Industrial Production (Aug.) Rosstat’s monthly raft of activity data showed that the Russian economy continued to contract in August at a pace of around 4.5-5.0% y/y. However, the figures provide the first signs that the pace at... 17th September 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia’s MPC keeps rates on hold due to ruble weakness Today’s decision by the Russian central bank to keep interest rates on hold at 11.00% having cut rates at each of its previous meetings this year, clearly reflects policymakers’ concerns about the... 11th September 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Economic Sentiment Indicators (Aug.) Economic Sentiment Indicators strengthened in most countries across Emerging Europe this month, suggesting that the region continued to grow at a healthy pace in the third quarter. 28th August 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update What does the latest fall in oil prices mean for Russia? The latest plunge in global oil prices and the associated depreciation of the ruble have added to what was already a bleak picture for the Russian economy and reinforce our view that this year’s... 24th August 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Russia Retail Sales, Investment & Industrial Production (Jul.) The raft of Russian activity data for July, released today, showed that the economy continued to contract by 4-5% y/y at the start of Q3. And the latest drop in oil prices means that the fall in... 19th August 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Russia GDP (Q2) Russia’s recession deepened in Q2 of this year and with oil prices having since taken another leg down, the economic prospects for the coming quarters look pretty grim too. Industry appears to have... 10th August 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response World Gold Official Reserves (Jun.) Buying by global central banks picked up pace in June, with Russia once again particularly active. Going forward, we expect further official purchases to be one of several factors supporting the price... 6th August 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Russia CPI (Jul.) Russian inflation picked up in July for the first time since March, but this was driven entirely by last month’s hikes in household utility tariffs. In contrast, core price pressures eased. Inflation... 4th August 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russian MPC cuts rates, but ruble concerns come to the fore The Russian central bank (CBR) cut its one-week repo rate by 50bp, to 11.0%, today, but the recent fall in the ruble triggered a clear shift in the Council’s tone, and policymakers are no longer... 31st July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Ruble slump concerns CBR, but easing cycle likely to continue The move by Russia’s central bank to halt its foreign currency purchases suggests that policymakers have become increasingly concerned by the recent slump in the ruble. But even so, the impact on both... 29th July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia’s central bank not backtracking on ruble free float Recent concerns that Russia’s central bank is abandoning the ruble free float seem overdone. While policymakers will undoubtedly keep a close eye on the ruble and intervene on the FX market in order... 22nd July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Russia Retail Sales, Investment, IP (Jun.) & Poland IP (Jun.) Russia’s activity data for June made for grim reading. The hit to consumer-facing sectors has been particularly severe, but industry has struggled too. We estimate that GDP contracted by around 5% y/y... 17th July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update What’s behind the slump in Russian industry? The collapse in Russian industrial output in the second quarter appears to have been driven by the unwinding of one-off supports to a couple of sectors, as well further weakness in domestic demand... 14th July 2015 · 1 min read
