Ukraine
Foreign share of Ukraine's domestic bonds falling, demand for fresh debt spluttering
Foreign investors piled into Ukraine’s local debt market since it was hooked up to Clearstream’s international payment and settlement system last March, investing $5bn, but now they are selling
Ukraine’s real wage gains still positive but fall in dollar terms in March
The average income in Ukraine has been rising steadily in recent years and rose from a mere UAH6.659 ($221) in January 2017 – making Ukrainians the poorest people in Europe – to almost double to UAH10.727 ($439) this January.
KYIV BLOG: Ukraine battered by the winds of crisis, but still standing on its feet
As one of the poorest countries in the region that is in a very weak macroeconomic position, Ukraine is one of the most vulnerable to the series of external shocks delivered in the last two months.
Industrial production in Ukraine tumbles by 16.2% year on year in April
Industrial production in Ukraine in April 2020 fell by 16.2% year on year, compared with the March drop of 7.7%, February’s fall of 1.5% and January’s contraction of 5.1%, the State Statistics Service said on May 23.
Ukraine secures agreement with IMF over new $5bn, 18-month programme
The International Monetary Fund signed off on a new staff level 18-month Stand-by Arrangement with Ukraine on the same day that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed the new anti-Kolomoisky banking bill into law.
PS752 Tragedy - Ukrainian aviation investigation head suggests passengers were out of their seats
Official releases more inside information on shooting down of passenger plane as Kyiv and Tehran fail to resolve differences on direction of probe.
Business rallies to help in fight against coronavirus across Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Business leaders across the Former Soviet Union are using some of the riches they have amassed in the last three decades to help in the fight against the coronavirus.
Ukraine’s coronavirus epidemic reaches peak
The number of recovered cases from the COVID-19 epidemic exceeded the number of newly infected on May 13 for the first time since the pandemic began in Ukraine, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov told a press briefing.
Ukraine parliament adopts IMF-demanded banking law
Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has adopted the so-called anti-Kolomoisky bank law in a final reading on May 13 that bans the return of failed banks to their former shareholders and clears the way for Kyiv to sign off on a new IMF deal.
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Retail sales under lockdown across Central and Eastern Europe are sinking
A worldwide lockdown has created havoc for retailers as their customers are forced to stay at home. There has been a little respite as sales in March surged due to panic buying but that has given way to a lockdown that keeps stores closed
Inflation in Ukraine slowed to 2.1% in April
Inflation in Ukraine slowed to 2.1% in April year on year from 2.3% in March, according to the State Statistics Service. Month-on-month inflation remained flat at 0.8% compared to March.
After a year in office Zelenskiy is still struggling to end the Donbas conflict
When Russia orchestrated a separatist takeover of the Donbas region of Ukraine in 2014, few would have predicted five years later a former television star with no traditional political experience would be elected on a promise to end the conflict.
IMF cancels Ukraine EFF deal, downgrades it to an SBA due to "unprecedented economic uncertainty"
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) cancelled its agreement with Ukraine for the extended $5.5bn Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and says negotiations must restart for a downgraded Standby agreement (SBA) due to “political instability.”
SAPO opens criminal case against ex-Prosecutor General Riaboshapka
Ukraine’s Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) has opened a criminal investigation against former Prosecutor General Ruslan Riaboshapka, who has been dubbed “Ukraine’s only ever honest Prosecutor General” on May 6.
Ukraine’s economy to contract by 11% in 2Q20 but recover in 2021, says NBU
Ukraine’s economy will contract sharply in the second quarter of this year, says the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), before gradually recovering, but average growth will end 2020 with a 5% contraction.
Uber Eats exits all but core CEE markets
The express food delivery service will only stay in markets where it is already number one or two in terms of market share, or can see a clear path to achieving this status.
Capital outflows from EMs reverse in April to modest gains
The torrent of capital fleeing Emerging Markets (EMs) securities has stopped and these markets saw a modest inflow in April, reported the Institute of International Finance (IIF) on May 4.
Ukraine's unemployment doubles in March, could reach 15% this year
Due to the quarantine, the number of unemployed Ukrainians has roughly doubled in March, to 2.5-2.8mn people, calculates the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Rushed PPE procurement leads to rash of corruption scandals
The pressure to secure supplies of personal protective equipment, ventilators and other equipment for hospitals as the coronavirus pandemic spreads has opened up new opportunities for corruption.
Russia halts grain exports to prevent domestic food price spikes
Russia has capped grain exports until July after government export quotas were reached to head off a spike in food prices on the domestic market, the Ministry of Agriculture announced on April 26.