Eastern Europe / Data
Trust in Zelenskiy jumps to 65% following Trump’s comments, but still trails General Zaluzhnyi
Public trust in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has jumped to 65%, up from 57% in January, after US President Donald Trump claimed that his popularity was only 4% and called him a “dictator” without legitimacy.
The war in Ukraine has reduced inequality and made Russian society fairer, poll shows
The three-year war in Ukraine has improved the structure of Russian society and reduced social and income inequality, Russians believe for the first time ever, the state-owned Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) found in a recent survey.
Inflation in Russia has probably peaked and rate cuts may start in June, says Rencap
Inflation in Russia has probably peaked, as the annualised preliminary January rate reached 9.9%, says Renaissance Capital, and rate cuts could begin as soon as June, but that will also crash economic growth.
RENCAP: No major surprises as the Central Bank of Russia keeps rates on hold
The decision to maintain the key rate at 21% aligned with the consensus forecast. The regulator's rhetoric turned out to be slightly more hawkish than anticipated at the start of the week as inflation pressures remain.
Russia’s CBR maintains key rate at 21% after putting brakes on lending
The board of the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) at the policy meeting of February 14 resolved to keep the key interest rate at 21%. As followed by bne IntelliNews, this is in line with expectations.
EU has continued to buy Russian fertilizer throughout war – Statista
The Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) has called for increased economic pressure on Russia as well as secondary sanctions on companies supporting its war efforts in a new report, released February 11.
Surging financial flows in January indicate robust economic growth, says CBR
Surging financial flows in January 2025 suggest Russia’s economy is growing more strongly than recently indicated, the Central Bank of Russia said on February 7.
Have Russia’s prime interests passed peak? CBR lowers rate forecast for 2025 to 20.5%
Has Russia’s prime interest rate peaked? The Central Bank of Russia says analysts have lowered their forecast for interested rates in 2025 to 20.5% in its latest monthly macroeconomic survey of professional economists.
Total Russian car sales up by more than half in 2024
The sale of new passenger cars in Russia was up by 56% in 2024 and grew by another 9% y/y in January.
Russia’s economy defies wave of bankruptcy fears with fastest private sector PMI growth in a year
Russia’s services and manufacturing sectors expanded at their fastest pace in a year in January, driven by improved demand conditions and a sharp rise in new orders, according to the latest Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data from S&P Global.
Most of USAID aid goes to Ukraine
US President Donald Trump has suspended the distribution of aid via USAID. Ukraine is currently its biggest recipient, reports Statista.
Russian manufacturing PMI growth up a robust 53.1 points in January from 50.8 points a month earlier
Russia’s manufacturing sector expanded at its fastest pace in six months in January, driven by a surge in domestic demand and a rise in new orders, according to the latest S&P Global Russia Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index data.
Ukraine’s alarming demographics turn on how many refugees return home after the war
Demographic data paint an alarming picture of Ukraine’s collapsing demographics, a problem that will be made worse by the fact that as time passes, fewer and fewer of the some 8mn Ukrainian refugees outside the country are likely to come home.
Where are the world’s rare earth metals?
US President Donald Trump has said once again he wants to buy Greenland for its strategic location, but Greenland is known to have an abundance of important rare earth elements that the US is missing.
Russia’s 2024 harvest comes in below expectations on bad weather and supply chain woes
Russia’s agricultural harvest came in below expectations in 2024, due to poor weather conditions and supply chain problems, reports the Bank of Finland institute for Emerging Economies (BOFIT).
The world reacts to Trump 2.0
Donald Trump's return to the White House has drawn sharply contrasting reactions worldwide, with traditional US allies expressing deep concern while rivals and emerging powers show marked optimism, according to a major new survey.
Russia's international reserves up to $609.5bn in 2024, but the NWF down by over a trillion rubles to RUB3.8 trillion
Russia's international reserves were reported at $609.5bn as of January 3, up slightly from $598.5bn a year earlier, but the National Wealth Fund was down by over a trillion rubles to RUB3.8 trillion.
"Out of control" Russia's CPI inflation up again to 9.5% in December
Russia’s runaway consumer price inflation (CPI) made more gains in December, rising to 9.5% y/y, as the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) continues to lose the fight to reign in rising prices.
Russo-China trade turnover rises 1.9% to $244.81bn in 2024
Mutual trade turnover trade between China and Russia reached a new record high of $244.81bn in 2024, marking a modest 1.9% increase from the previous year.
Trust in Zelenskiy drops to half, says poll
Trust in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has declined to half (52%), down seven percentage points from October 2024 and 12 points since February, according to a poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.