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MOSCOW, Dec 1 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree putting St Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport under the temporary management of a Russian company, wresting control from investors from Germany, Qatar and other Gulf states. The airport's management company has 14 co-owners. The rights of foreign shareholders will pass to two different Russian entities. Russian shareholders will retain their rights. The decree stated that airport's foreign shareholders would be able to restore their rights to stakes in the new company if they apply and conclude corporate agreements that comply with Russian laws on foreign investment.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Fraport, VTB, Ramzan Kadyrov, Taimuraz, Carlsberg's, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Ilona Wissenbach, Gareth Jones, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Petersburg's Pulkovo, Qatar Investment Authority, Russian Direct Investment Fund, Baring, Baltika Breweries, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Germany, Qatar, St Petersburg, Abu Dhabi, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

MOSCOW, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Russia's industrial output growth slowed in October as the unemployment rate dropped to a record low 2.9%, federal statistics showed on Wednesday, with deepening labour shortages showing signs of cooling Moscow's military production capacity. Analysts say wages are growing faster than productivity and the central bank has warned of the impact it has on inflation. Industrial output rose 5.3% year-on-year in October, down from a 5.6% rise in September and driven once again by military production. Rosstat said industrial output had grown since March at a monthly rate of more than 5% compared with the corresponding months of 2022. But when discounting seasonal factors, industrial production dropped 0.4% in October, Rosstat said.

Persons: Maxim Oreshkin, Vladimir Putin, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Rosstat, Alexander Marrow, Darya, Alex Richardson, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Kremlin, Reuters, VW, Central Bank Governor, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Volkswagen's, Moscow, Ukraine, Putin's Russia

Prior to the February 2022 invasion, Chinese cars accounted for less than 10% of the Russian market. Russia has jumped from 11th place to become China's largest export market for cars, reaching a value of $9.4 billion in January-October, Chinese customs data showed. Overall, monthly car sales in Russia are now more than double what they were a year ago, Autostat data showed, while separate data from federal statistics service Rosstat showed car production was nearly three times higher in September year-on-year, underlining the sector's partial recovery. 'UNSTABLE, SHAKY' MARKETSanctions against Russia contributed to lower car production and sales most notably in 2022, but also after Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Meanwhile, the rouble's slide to 100 against the dollar this year has made imports more expensive, depressing purchases of Chinese cars.

Persons: PPK, Sergei Udalov, Udalov, Russia's, Natalia Zubarevich, Zubarevich, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Zoey Zhang, Vineet Sachdev, Mike Collett, White, Mark Potter Organizations: Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Chery, Geely, HK, West shuns, Autostat, Russia, Western, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Moscow State University, Wages, Lada, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Soviet, Beijing, China, West shuns Russia, Western

"This super pre-emptive right will work only in specific cases, with specific companies," Chebeskov said on the sidelines of a financial forum in Moscow on Nov. 14. "The idea was that this concerns only those strategic companies in which the state already has a share," Chebeskov said. The lack of clarity and uncertain timeline highlights the unpredictable nature of regulatory changes facing investors and businesses seeking to adjust their exposure to Russia. This compares with net outflows of around $48 million in March 2022 and $69 million in February this year. Western investors have already struggled to get assets out of Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Ivan Chebeskov, Chebeskov, Rybalkin, Tskhakaya, Thomas J Brock, Carlsberg's, Putin, JP Morgan, JPM, Vijay Marolia, Brock, Sinead Cruise, Alexander Marrow, Elena Fabrichnaya, Darya Korsunskaya, Jane Merriman Organizations: Ukraine LONDON, Reuters, Nato, Dyakin, Partners, Kaiser Consulting, Investors, Morningstar Direct, Federal Property Agency, Assets, Deutsche Bank, Regal Point Capital, HSBC, Expobank, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, Moscow, Russian, Magnit, London

The logo of Russian technology giant Yandex is on display at the company's headquarters in Moscow, Russia December 9, 2022. Dutch holding company Yandex NV's planned restructuring is aimed at recouping some shareholder funds with the sale of its main revenue-generating Russian businesses, such as its search and ride-hailing operations. 'CONTROL FOR LESS'Yandex NV may sell 100% of a holding company set up in Russia's Kaliningrad region, said one of the people. A third source said this scenario would see Yandex NV make a clean break with Russia. Yandex NV shareholders could easily have been left with nothing, said one of the sources.

Persons: Evgenia, Yandex, Yandex's, Arkady Volozh, Russia's, nationalising Yandex, Darya Korsunskaya, Alexander Marrow, David Goodman, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Kremlin, VK, Reuters, Carlsberg, Danone, Yandex, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Yandex, Dubai, Russia's Kaliningrad, nationalising

This means there are practically no workers left in the economy, the situation with personnel is really very acute," Nabiullina said. "For further growth of the Russian economy, increased labour productivity is needed." Inflation pressure peaked in the third quarter of this year, Nabiullina said, but annual inflation will only start decreasing next spring. The central bank's forecasts suggest that reaching the 4% target by end-2024 will be a tough ask. Nabiullina said another rate hike may be required before the bank can start reducing borrowing costs again.

Persons: Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Nabiullina, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Elena Fabrichnaya, Alexander Marrow, Alison Williams, Gareth Jones Organizations: Central Bank Governor, State Duma, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine MOSCOW, Moscow, Ukraine, State, Russian, London

The central bank's sharper-than-expected rate hike to 15% in late October also helped the rouble hit a three-month high of 91.6225 this week. None of the analysts polled now see inflation reaching the lower end of the central bank's 4-4.5% forecast for inflation next year. Russia has steadily worsened its 2023 inflation forecast and analysts now see price rises ending the year above 7%. Analysts raised their expectations for Russia's gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 2.5% this year, from 2.3% in the previous poll. GDP growth in 2024 is seen at 1.5%, dropping to 1.3% in 2025.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Mikhail Vasilyev, Alexander Marrow, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Bank of, Analysts, Thomson Locations: Russia, Bank of Russia

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev sneered at the Danish brewer Carlsberg (CARLb.CO) on Wednesday for having thought it could quit Russia without penalty after the West sanctioned Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. Carlsberg CEO Jacob Aarup-Andersen on Tuesday said Russia had stolen its business when President Vladimir Putin in July granted temporary control of its majority stake in the Russian brewer Baltika to the federal government. "Like their brethren in the Western menagerie, they abandoned everything in Russia for political reasons ..., refused to fulfil their obligations to Russian contractors. Carlsberg had eight breweries and about 8,400 employees in Russia, and took a 9.9 billion Danish crown ($1.4 billion) write-down on Baltika last year. ($1 = 7.0694 Danish crowns)Reporting by Reuters in Moscow and Alexander Marrow in LondonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Dmitry Medvedev sneered, Jacob Aarup, Andersen, Vladimir Putin, Baltika, Carlsberg, Medvedev, they'd, Alexander Marrow Organizations: Carlsberg, REUTERS, Rights, West, Russia's Security, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Copenhagen, Denmark, Russian, Danish, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, London

By 1417 GMT, the rouble was 0.4% stronger against the dollar at 93.57 , earlier reaching 92.5100, its strongest point since Sept. 12. "We expect that by the end of the year the rouble exchange rate will be trading in the range of 94-98 per dollar, 99-104 per euro and 12.8-13.4 per yuan," Vasilyev said. CURRENCY CONTROLSMonth-end tax payments, due on Oct. 30, which usually see exporters convert foreign exchange (FX) revenue to pay domestic liabilities, have supported the rouble in recent days. The rouble has strengthened from beyond 100 to the dollar since the decree was announced. "The specific impact of currency restrictions on the dynamics of the exchange rate will be insignificant in our opinion," she said.

Persons: Mikhail Vasilyev, Vasilyev, Yevgeny Suvorov, Suvorov, Vladimir Putin's, Elvira Nabiullina, Brent, Alexander Marrow, Mark Potter, Christopher Cushing, Deborah Kyvrikosaios, Gareth Jones Organizations: Bank, Bank of Russia, FX, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine MOSCOW, Moscow, London

Nabiullina also said the budget was a significant factor in Friday's decision. "It looks like today's interest rate hike front-loaded the tightening cycle in response to the fiscal announcements earlier this month," said Liam Peach, senior emerging markets economist at Capital Economics. The central bank's tightening cycle began this summer when inflationary pressure from a tight labour market, strong consumer demand and the budget deficit was compounded by the falling rouble. But the bank set its 2023 key rate range at 15-15.2%, suggesting rates could climb further and Nabiullina said that may be required. Sinara Investment Bank analyst Sergei Konygin said the lack of forward hawkish guidance meant it was highly likely the key rate had already reached its upper boundary.

Persons: Elvira Nabiullina, Nabiullina, Liam Peach, Dmitry Polevoy, Sergei Konygin, Vladimir Soldatkin, Elena Fabrichnaya, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones, Mark Trevelyan, John Stonestreet, Mike Harrison Organizations: Bank, Russia, Bank of Russia, Capital Economics, Reuters, Sinara Investment Bank, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine MOSCOW, Ukraine, Moscow, Locko, London

But Russia's Accounts Chamber, which oversees budget execution, warned on Monday there were risks the Urals price would fall below $60 in 2024-2026. Russia's forecast sees economic growth of 2.3% in 2024, well above estimates of 1.1% from the International Monetary Fund and 0.5%-1.5% from the Bank of Russia. CHANGING TUNEAt Russia's flagship economic forum in St Petersburg in June, Siluanov said increasing expenditure was difficult, as budget spending had already increased by 1-1/2 times from 2019 to 2022. Now, even as the government outlines plans for spending to jump to 36.7 trillion roubles in 2024, he is more relaxed. Renaissance Capital's Donets and Melaschenko said Russia could create temporary taxes, permanently increase rates of VAT, or adjust Russia's budget rule to permit more spending of energy revenues.

Persons: Evgenia, Anton Tabakh, Vladimir Putin, Anton Siluanov, Denis Popov, Yevgeny Suvorov, Suvorov, Sofya Donets, Andrei Melaschenko, Dmitry Polevoy, Siluanov, Melaschenko, Alexei Sazanov, Sazanov, Konstantin Sonin, It's, Sumanta Sen, Mark Trevelyan, Alexander Marrow, Catherine Evans Organizations: U.S ., Russian, REUTERS, Washington, Finance, International Monetary Fund, Bank of Russia, Capital, Reuters Graphics Russia, University of Chicago, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, West, St Petersburg

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