Ukraine
The West approves badly needed budgetary support for Ukraine, but delays dog distribution of funds
Both the US and European Commission have approved badly needed financial support packages for Ukraine to shore up public finances but the distribution of the money has been dogged by bureaucratic delays.
US warns of ‘profound threat’ of Putin’s efforts to deepen ties with Iran
Washington claims Tehran plans to supply Russia with combat drones. Remarks come as Joe Biden starts Middle East tour and Russia’s president prepares for trip to Iranian capital.
MITTELEUROPEAN INSIGHTS: Brussels needs to jump-start the Western Balkan accession process
Only when the Western Balkans is integrated into the EU, and the EU reforms itself, can Brussels really turn its attention to Ukraine or other potential accession candidates.
Germany’s ZEW Index collapses as fears of gas rationing mount
Germany’s leading economic index, the ZEW, collapsed in July as fears mount that Russia will cut the country off from gas entirely at the end of this month, and that could spark a major economic crisis, Oxford Economics reported on July 12.
MOSCOW BLOG: Stagflation is here
I posted a scary comment today by bne IntelliNews columnist Les Nemethy that basically says stagflation is here and the economic situation is already running out of control.
Ukraine’s Akhmetov transfers media licences to the state, saying “I am not an oligarch”
Ukraine’s richest man, Rinat Akhmetov, has transferred the ownership of his media assets to the state in a bid to shed his oligarch status.
NEMETHY: The riskiest macroeconomic environment of the 21st Century!
In my opinion, the macro environment is riskier than before the Dotcom Bubble and before the Great Financial Bubble. Why? A nasty cocktail of factors which may reinforce each other:
FPRI BMB Ukraine: Martial labour law
Wartime economics and workers’ rights are not exactly good friends. Ukraine, despite its socialist heritage, is no exception. With nearly 5mn people out of work since the full-scale war began, production lines are at a standstill or idling.
How many days of gas consumption are in Europe’s storage tanks?
If the Russians turned off gas supplies to Europe today, how many days of gas are currently in the storage tanks?
INTERVIEW: 'Without a free Ukraine, there is no chance for a free independent Belarus,' say hacktivists Belarusian Cyber Partisans
Hours after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, an unexpected announcement was released online: A special hacker unit called "Tactical group of Belarus" had formed and were joining the fight against Russia.
The European Union needs to cut demand by 15% to cope with Russian gas cuts
Without Russian gas, the European Union would have to reduce demand by approximately 15%, with big differences between different parts of Europe.
bneGREEN: The need for nuclear in the energy transition
Nuclear is set to make a "comeback," with capacity forecast to double between 2020 and 2050 from 413 GW to 812 GW, the IEA said.
Romanian exporters struggle to find port capacity amid flow of goods from Ukraine
The flow of merchandise through Romania’s Constanta Port has tripled since the war in Ukraine started, putting pressure on the capacity of the port that now is restricting the activity of Romanian exporters.
RADIOACTIVE: Central Europe remains highly exposed to Russian uranium
Europe’s nuclear power sector is starting to worry about its fuel stocks as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is calling into question the security of uranium supplies and processing services provided by Russia.
Ukraine is running out of money and Naftogaz is close to a bond default
Ukraine’s state-owned oil and gas company is likely to default, leading many to speculate that Ukraine will default later this year as the government struggles to pay for the war.
Less than 5% of German companies decided to quit the Russian market
Less than 5% of German companies have decided to leave the Russian market as a result of the war, as other foreign brands quit Russia en masse.
Emerging markets see $4bn of outflows in June as global recession fears grow
Pockets of weakness persist in emerging markets where real interest rates are deeply negative – and risks for those countries are rapidly mounting.
Tougher times ahead for Emerging Europe
With no end to the Ukraine war in sight, spiralling inflation is set to drag down growth across Emerging Europe in the second half of 2022 and into 2023, wiiw’s latest forecasts say.
Ukraine’s banking system puts the worst of the war shock behind it as sector goes back into profit
Ukraine’s banking sector is holding steady in the midst of the war-storm sweeping the country and returned to profit in May after losing money in the first two months of the war, according to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
MACRO ADVISORY: Is Putin moving towards a ceasefire in Ukraine?
A lot of rhetoric last week and several summits, but President Vladimir Putin's rhetoric has changed; he has gone from demanding the de-nazification of Ukraine to talking about the security of the Donbas. Is he signalling he is open for talks?
