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MOSCOW (AP) — The shelves at Moscow supermarkets are full of fruit and vegetables, cheese and meat. But many of the shoppers look at the selection with dismay as inflation makes their wallets feel empty. The bank now forecasts inflation for the full year, as well as next year, to be about 7.5%. Maxim Blant, a Russian economy analyst based in Latvia, sees that as an indication that prices will continue to rise sharply. That keeps the cost of imports high, even as import possibilities shrink due to Western sanctions.

Persons: weathers, can’t, Roxana Gheltkova, Lilya Tsarkova, “, Rosstat, Maxim Blant, that's Organizations: MOSCOW, Central Bank, Associated Press, U.S Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Latvia

☆ The ruble is gaining and is the world's best performing currency versus the dollar in recent weeks amid rate hikes and energy costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's ruble is the world's top-performing currency against the dollar in recent weeks. The ruble has jumped more than 10% since hitting a trough of around 100 against the greenback early last month. Still, the ruble is down 17% against the dollar year to date as Russia's economy battles a host of problems. The ruble has jumped more than 10% since hitting a trough of around 100 against the greenback last month, making it the world's best-performing currency versus the dollar in that span. Still, Russia's currency has fallen 17% against the dollar so far this year, attesting to the host of problems facing the nation's economy.

Persons: — Organizations: greenback, Service, Bank of Russia Locations: Russia, Russia's, Russian, Ukraine

☆ The Russian economy is in bad shape, no matter what the Kremlin says: Russian economist
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The "real situation" in Russia's economy is bad, Russian economist Igor Lipsits told Reuters. AdvertisementThe Kremlin has been painting a rosy picture of the country's economy even amid a swathe of Western sanctions — but "the real situation is bad," Igor Lipsits, a prominent Russian economist, told Reuters. Official rosy pronouncements on the Russian economy are not a good gauge of how the Russian economy is doing because authorities are just trying to make the Kremlin happy, Lipsits added. "A large part of the Russian population have very low wages," Lipsits told the news agency. Lipsits told Reuters he expects economic stagnation — at the very least — and a serious slump after the country's presidential election in March.

Persons: Igor Lipsits, —, Lipsits, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Reuters, Service, Business, HSE University Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia

LONDON (AP) — Russia's State Duma took a step forward Wednesday towards approving its biggest-ever federal budget which will increase spending by around 25% in 2024, with record amounts going on defense. Part of the Russian budget is secret as the Kremlin tries to conceal its military plans and sidestep scrutiny of its war in Ukraine. Analysts suggest Russia is in third place globally for defense spending behind China and the United States, which spends around $850 billion a year. The main driver of that growth is Russia's war in Ukraine, which is now as important to the Kremlin economically as it is politically. If there is a reduction in military spending, or a need to reduce spending which impacts living standards, it could send shockwaves through the Russian economy and significantly impact ordinary people.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, ”, Richard Connolly, Farida Rustamova, Maksim Tovkaylo, Alexandra Prokopenko, Anton Siluanov, “, Connolly, they’ve, ” Prokopenko, Prokopenko, — — David McHugh Organizations: —, Duma, Kremlin, Royal United Services Institute, Independent, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Russian Central Bank, Finance, Defense, Central Bank Locations: — Russia's, Russia, Ukraine, London, China, United States, Russian, West, India, Berlin, Frankfurt

☆ Russia hikes key rate to 15% in bigger-than-expected rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russia's central bank raised its key interest rate by a higher than expected 200 basis points to 15% on Friday, hiking borrowing costs for the fourth meeting running in response to a weak rouble and stubborn inflation pressure. "The updated medium-term parameters of fiscal policy assume a slower than expected decline in fiscal stimulus in the years ahead," the bank said. It also acknowledged for the first time that it may not succeed in returning inflation to its 4% target next year, forecasting year-end inflation for 2024 at 4-4.5%. The majority of analysts polled by Reuters had expected a smaller hike to 14%. The rouble leapt to a more than six-week high against the dollar after the decision.

Organizations: Bank, Reuters Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ Russia rolls out currency controls in a bid to revive the ruble, which has cratered against the dollar this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Big exporters will be required to sell their foreign earnings on the domestic market. Moscow is trying to prop up the slumping ruble, which has shed around a quarter of its value this year. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia's government said late Wednesday that it will bring back some currency controls in a bid to revive the ruble, which has shed around a quarter of its value this year as the war in Ukraine rages on. Nearly two years since the invasion of Ukraine, Russia's economy is struggling but is yet to collapse in the face of widespread western sanctions.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, International Monetary Fund Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia's

☆ Putin says he can be a peacemaker in Israel — but he has far more to gain from prolonging the war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Kremlin says Putin wants to act as mediator in the Israel-Hamas war. But Putin has little to gain from bringing an end to the conflict. AdvertisementAdvertisementAs violence erupted between Israel and Hamas this week, the Kremlin sought to cast Russian President Vladimir Putin in the role of peace broker. They say Putin has more to gain, not by bringing a swift end to the conflict, but by prolonging it to further Russia's strategic goals, notably in Ukraine. Abbas Gallyamov, a former speechwriter for Putin, told CBC News that Russia had become an "Iran proxy" in the region, like Hamas or Hezbollah.

Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, We've, shouldn't, Ukraine Putin, Ukraine's, Robert Dover, Aleksandar Vucic, Benjamin Netanyahu, ALEXEY DRUZHININ, Ann Marie Dailey, Bashar al, Assad, Arkadi Doubnov, Le, Abbas Gallyamov, you've, Gallyamov Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Intelligence, National Security, University of Hull, Getty, Rand Corporation, Bloomberg, Hull University, Hamas, CBC News Locations: Israel, Russian, Russia, Gaza, Palestine, Ukraine, Dover, Serbian, Moscow, AFP, Saudi Arabia, Soviet Union, Iran, Israeli, India, South Africa, China, Tehran

☆ Russian ruble sinks to level that previously triggered emergency measures from Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Russian ruble fell past the 100-per-dollar threshold early Tuesday. When it last broke this barrier in mid-August, Russia's central bank hiked rates sharply. The currency fell to 100.255 against the greenback early Tuesday, though it has since edged back up to a 99.55 level. When this triple-digit threshold was last crossed in mid-August, the central bank took emergency measures and hiked interest rates sharply to 12%. In early September, the central bank also boosted foreign currency sales to help stem ruble volatility.

Persons: —, Elvira Nabiullina Organizations: Service, greenback, Reuters, Bank of Russia Locations: Russia's, Russia, China

☆ Putin marks anniversary of annexation of Ukrainian regions as drones attack overnight
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday insisted that the residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed a year ago "made their choice — to be with their Fatherland." A concert was held in Red Square on Friday to mark the anniversary, but Putin did not participate. Serhii Borzov said that air defenses shot down 20 drones over his central Ukrainian region, but that a "powerful fire" broke out in the town of Kalynivka when a drone struck an unspecified infrastructure facility. Russia's Defense Ministry said Saturday that it had shot down nine Ukrainian rockets fired at its southern Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine. Drone strikes and shelling in the Russian border regions are a regular occurrence.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Malashko, Serhii Borzov, Vyacheslav Gladkov Organizations: Senezh, Russia's, Commission, Russia's Defense, Ukraine, EU Foreign Affairs, Security, Gov, Romania's Ministry of National Defense, Romanian Army, NATO, Belgorod Gov, Local Locations: Russia, Solnechnogorsk, Moscow region, Moscow, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Red Square, Ukraine, EU, Odesa, Russian, Ukraine's, Matviivka, Mykolaiv, Vinnytsia, Ukrainian, Kalynivka, Romania, Galati, Tulcea, Belgorod, Russia's Bryansk, Pogar

[1/2] Logos of Swiss banks Credit Suisse and UBS are seen before a news conference in Zurich Switzerland, August 30, 2023. Credit Suisse, which was Switzerland's second-biggest bank, suffered years of scandals and losses before it had to be rescued in March in a state-engineered takeover by UBS. Credit Suisse declined to comment. Spokespeople for central banks in South Korea, India, Ireland, and Saudi Arabia also did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Last month, a Moscow court banned UBS and Credit Suisse from disposing of shares in their Russian subsidiaries, Reuters reported, citing court documents.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Laws, Engen Tham, Selena Li, Jihoon Lee, Alexander Marrow, Sumeet Chatterjee, Stephen Coates, Alexander Smith Organizations: Credit Suisse, UBS, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Suisse, Western, Thomson Locations: Zurich Switzerland, Rights SHANGHAI, HONG KONG, South Korea, India, Swiss, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Bahrain, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Japan, Thailand, Turkey, Shanghai, Hong Kong, London

National flag flies over the Russian Central Bank headquarters in Moscow, Russia May 27, 2022. On Friday, it gave hawkish guidance that it would consider further rate increases at upcoming meetings and said inflationary risks remained significant. The central bank adjusted its year-end forecast for inflation to 6.0-7.0% from 5.0-6.5%. "Russia's central bank is a hawkish institution that takes its commitment to inflation fighting seriously," said Senior Emerging Markets Economist Liam Peach. Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina will shed more light on the bank's forecasts and policy in a media briefing at 1200 GMT.

Persons: Maxim Shemetov, jacking, Liam Peach, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Alexander Marrow, Elena Fabrichnaya, Darya Korsunskaya, Maria Kiselyova, Amruta Khandekar, Andrew Osborn, William Maclean, Catherine Evans Organizations: Russian Central Bank, REUTERS, Kremlin, Capital Economics, Central Bank Governor, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, Ukraine MOSCOW, Ukraine, London

☆ More trouble for the Russian economy ahead: It just significantly raised its inflation forecast, despite Putin saying price hikes are hurting businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's economy ministry has raised the country's 2023 inflation forecast from 5.3% to 7.5%, per TASS. Russia's economy and the ruble's value have been hit by the war in Ukraine, driving up inflation. Russian President Putin said on Tuesday high inflation is making it "practically impossible" for businesses to make plans. Russian inflation accelerated 5.15% year-over-year in August, well above the central bank's 4% annual inflation target. Analysts polled by Reuters are largely expecting Russia's central bank to hike rates again later this week to support the ruble and tame inflation.

Persons: Putin, Vladimir Putin isn't Organizations: Service, TASS, Ukraine, Moscow, Eastern Economic, Reuters, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Vladivostok

☆ Russia will increase foreign currency sales 830% as deadline for Eurobond repayment nears
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's central bank said it will increase its foreign currency sales by 830% later this month. The sales will help Russia repay a $3 billion Eurobond that is due on September 16. The offloaded foreign currency will also help calm ruble volatility, the central bank said. Between September 14 and 22, the Bank of Russia will sell 21.4 billion rubles worth of foreign currency a day into the domestic market, up 830% from a planned 2.3 billion. This will total 150 billion rubles worth of foreign currency, or $1.5 billion.

Persons: Wagner, Elvira Nabiullina, Anton Siluanov Organizations: Service, Bank of Russia, Bolshevik, Kremlin, Moscow Times, Reuters Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Russia's, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ Russians aren't the only victims of the ruble's implosion — the weak currency is also hitting migrant Central Asians who repatriate the cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The weak Russian ruble is hurting Central Asian workers in Russia too, per Radio Free Europe. At least 6 million Central Asians work as migrant laborers in Russia. At least 6 million Central Asians work as migrant laborers in Russia. One dollar buys around 95 rubles now, as compared to the 74 rubles it could buy at the start of 2023. The situation is so serious that about half of migrant laborers are considering leaving Russia due to the weak currency, the Vedomosti business daily reported last Tuesday, citing a survey among the Uzbek diaspora in Russia.

Persons: Serik Belgibay Organizations: Central, Radio Free Europe, Service, Russia, Radio Free, Facebook, Kazakh Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstani, Kazakh, Kazakhstan

☆ The Kremlin's top brass are trying to pass the buck over the ruble's collapse. This rare public infighting shows just how precarious Russia's wartime economy is.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Kremlin's top brass are trying to pass the buck over the ruble's collapse. Russia's central bank governor, Elvira Nabiullina, said the weak ruble is due to changing trade flows. "A weak ruble complicates the economy's structural transformation and negatively influences real household earnings. "Blaming the central bank is like a drunkard's search — looking for the guilty where the light is," she said, the Financial Times reported earlier this week. The Kremlin, Russia's central bank, and Capital Economics did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.

Persons: Putin's, Elvira Nabiullina, Maxim Oreshkin, Vladimir Putin's, Oreshkin, Nabiullina —, —, Liam Peach, Putin, Max Seddon, you've Organizations: Service, TASS, Financial Times, Capital Economics Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Surgut

The need to reintroduce stringent capital controls comes as Russian authorities grapple with a sharply weakening rouble, which tumbled past 100 to the dollar on Monday. One source at an exporting firm said the discussions concerned the forced conversion of up to 90% of exporters' revenues. Exporters who fail to return revenues to Russia could lose government support measures, too. One Russian banking source told Reuters that about $39 billion is stuck in Indian banks, which oil companies are unable to return to Russia. The high-level source said a minimal level of revenues was held in rupees, with even less in roubles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Elena Fabrichnayaand Anastasia Lyrchikova, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, RBC, FX, Central Bank Governor, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine MOSCOW, Ukraine, Russia's, Moscow, India, Tbilisi

And with China's post-COVID recovery running into the ground and suffering a deepening real estate bust, western investment curbs throw more sand in the wheels. A question now is whether a retreat of western money from emerging markets at least partly explains both their recent underperformance and that of western government bonds, in which emerging central banks and sovereign funds are heavily invested. The picture has not been much better in aggregate emerging bond indices, even if they have done marginally better than developed world counterparts, and worries over emerging high-yield and property linked bonds are rising. Have global investors high-tailed it from emerging markets already? If western money grows more wary and is increasingly warned off China and other selective emerging investments, will there be a mutual pullback of official emerging money from western bond markets?

Persons: Aly, Joe Biden, Morgan, Biden, crumb, Mike Dolan, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, U.S ., Bank of, Institute for International Finance, Treasury, Reuters, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, Shenzhen, China, Ukraine, Washington, Russia, United States, Beijing, Moscow, Taiwan, Brazil, India, South Africa, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, South Korea

☆ Russia's ruble spikes as Putin and officials mull ways to prop up the currency after it dropped below a penny this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's ruble jumped 5% against the dollar on Wednesday as the Kremlin mulls capital controls. President Vladimir Putin reportedly held talks with officials on ways to prop up the ruble. The ruble crashed Monday, and on Tuesday Russia's central bank raised its benchmark rate to 12% from 8.5%. Sources told the Financial Times that Putin was set to hear proposals Wednesday from the finance ministry that include forcing exporters to sell up to 80% of their foreign currency revenue, capping currency swaps, and limiting how much foreign currency exporters can move out of Russia. The Kremlin then turned to a host of emergency capital controls as well as sharp rate hikes to stabilize the ruble.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Financial Times, Bloomberg Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ CNBC Daily Open: More obstacles for U.S. banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. U.S. consumer strong as everU.S. consumer spending in July remained healthy, according to data from the Commerce Department. Seasonally adjusted retail sales rose 0.7% for the month; economists were expecting 0.4%. Excluding autos, sales rose 1% against a 0.4% forecast.

Organizations: CNBC, bourse, Fitch, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Commerce Department, U.S Locations: Russian

[1/2] Chinese Yuan and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken March 10, 2023. That represented the highest annual growth rate since comparable records began in 2001. "BoE Sep rate hike bets have jumped ... providing support for the GBP," said Scotiabank chief FX strategist Shaun Osborne. The yuan briefly bounced back as major state-owned banks were seen selling dollars to support the local currency. Punctuating those worries, Chinese data on industrial output, retail sales and investment released shortly after the PBOC's rate cut showed unexpected slowdowns.

Persons: Yuan, Dado Ruvic, Sterling, BoE, Shaun Osborne, Scotiabank's Osborne, Osborne, Shinichiro Kadota, Shunichi Suzuki, Joice Alves, Samuel Indyk, Brigid Riley, Kevin Buckland, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of, Kremlin, Bank of England, Scotiabank, People's Bank of China, U.S, Traders, Barclays, Finance, Thomson Locations: Russian

☆ Russian central bank hikes rates by 350 bp to 12% in extraordinary meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian state flag flies over the Central Bank headquarters in Moscow, Russia March 29, 2021. A sign reads: "Bank of Russia". President Vladimir Putin's economic adviser Maxim Oreshkin on Monday rebuked the central bank blaming what he called its soft monetary policy on the weakening rouble. Hours after Oreshkin's words, as the rouble dived towards the 102 mark against the dollar, the bank announced the emergency meeting, throwing the currency a lifeline. The bank then steadily lowered the cost of borrowing to 7.5% as strong inflation pressure eased in the second half of 2022.

Persons: Maxim, Rouble, Vladimir Putin's, Maxim Oreshkin, Alexander Marrow, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Central Bank, Bank of, of Russia, Kremlin, Russia, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Bank of Russia, Ukraine MOSCOW, Ukraine

☆ Russian central bank jacks up interest rates to 12% at emergency meeting after ruble plunge
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

National flag flies over the Russian Central Bank headquarters in Moscow, Russia May 27, 2022. Russia's central bank on Tuesday hiked interest rates by 350 basis points to 12% at an emergency meeting, as Moscow looks to halt a rapid depreciation of the country's ruble currency. The ruble slumped near 102 to the dollar on Monday, as President Vladimir Putin's economic advisor, Maxim Oreshkin, penned an op-ed in Russian state-owned Tass news agency that blamed the plunging currency and the acceleration of inflation on "loose monetary policy." The Bank of Russia subsequently announced an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday to reassess its key interest rate, which previously sat at 8.5%. The ruble strengthened early on Tuesday, as investors bet on a significant tightening of monetary policy from the central bank, and was trading just below 96 to the dollar shortly before 8 a.m. London time.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Maxim Oreshkin Organizations: Russian Central Bank, Tass, of Russia Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russia's, London

☆ Russia's rouble rises ahead of central bank extraordinary meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's central bank will hold an extraordinary meeting at on Tuesday to discuss the level of its key interest rate, currently at 8.5%. A decision will be published at 10:30 Moscow time (0730 GMT), the central bank said. The central bank's most recent emergency hike came in late February 2022 with a rate raise to 20% in the immediate fallout of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. After that, the bank steadily lowered the cost of borrowing before quickening inflation forced a 100-basis-point hike to 8.5% last month. "The central bank has all the tools to normalise the situation in the near future," President Vladimir Putin's economic adviser Maxim Oreshkin said on Monday.

Persons: Shamil Zhumatov, Rouble, Vladimir Putin's, Maxim Oreshkin, Putin, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: REUTERS, Central, Sber Investments, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Ukraine, Russia's, Moscow, Russia, Europe

☆ Trump's new charges, Russia's rouble moves and China's gloom - plus the waltzing Matildas
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Donald Trump and 18 advisers face racketeering charges in Georgia over his attempts to reverse the election. Russia's central bank steps in to shore up the rouble - but will it be enough to stop the bite of Western sanctions? Plus, we find out how the once fringe, far-right candidate in Argentina changes the presidential race. And Australia goes mad for a new sport ahead of its historic semifinal in the Women's World Cup. Visit the for information on our privacy and data protection practices.

Persons: Donald Trump Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, Reading Trump, Thomson Locations: Georgia, Russia's, Argentina, Australia, Afghanistan Maui

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