SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Strategies & Market Trends : 2026 TeoTwawKi ... 2032 Darkest Interregnum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: TobagoJack who wrote (200088)7/5/2023 11:28:42 PM
From: Pogeu Mahone  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 217652
 
Did this kill BRIC currency?

Mutiny Aftermath Jolts Ruble as $43.5 Billion Outflow Takes Toll

Bloomberg News
Wed, July 5, 2023 at 8:33 AM EDT·3 min read





1 / 3
Mutiny Aftermath Jolts Ruble as $43.5 Billion Outflow Takes Toll

(Bloomberg) -- The ruble has crashed through what a top government official recently called Russia’s “comfort” zone after a mutiny that briefly threatened President Vladimir Putin’s power compounded months of capital outflows.

Most Read from Bloomberg

NYC Air Quality Drops to Unhealthy Levels — But Canadian Fires Aren’t to Blame

Xi’s Metal Curbs Risk Backfiring as G-7 Seeks China Alternative

Bond Yields Higher as Another Rate Hike Signaled: Markets Wrap

Earth Keeps Breaking Temperature Records Due to Global Warming

Fed Minutes Reveal Divisions Over Decision to Pause in June

Russia’s currency weakened on Wednesday to trade close to 91 per dollar after depreciating almost 2% to levels last seen a month after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

It’s among the worst performers in emerging markets this year with a loss of about 18%. Last month, First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov described a range of 80-90 per dollar as “optimal” for the Russian economy.

The ruble’s descent is a stark reminder of the challenges facing Russia as it adapts to sweeping international sanctions at a time when political risks are on the rise and the government’s coffers are under stress from a decline in energy earnings.

And just as a recovery in imports drives up demand for hard currency at home, Russian households and businesses are seeking out safety by shifting money outside the country. The stock of retail deposits held abroad increased by $43.5 billion from early 2022 until May 2023, according to Bloomberg Economics.

The failed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries provided the latest spark for the ruble’s weakness. Though the uprising late last month ended quickly under a deal brokered by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, the episode represented the greatest threat to Putin’s almost quarter-century rule and raised questions about stability in Russia as the war against Ukraine approaches its 17th month.

“Perhaps this became a trigger for the weakening of the ruble, in combination with growing imports, weak exports, demand for foreign currency for payments to non-residents and an extremely low level of liquidity,” said Natalia Lavrova, chief economist at BCS Financial Group.

What Bloomberg Economics Says...

“The ruble has lost the support it enjoyed last year from high energy prices and a double-digit domestic policy rate. A distinctly accommodative monetary policy provides little incentive to save in the domestic currency, while Wagner’s mutiny is likely driving local investors to update their estimates of local risks.”

-

—Alexander Isakov, Russia economist. For more, click here

The ruble has grown more vulnerable after a deterioration in Russia’s external finances. Unlike last year, when the government earned a record windfall after a rally in commodity prices, export proceeds have fallen sharply in 2023.

International restrictions on Russia’s oil, including price caps imposed by the Group of Seven nations, are taking their toll amid an almost complete halt of its pipeline gas to Europe, once Moscow’s biggest customer.

While Russia’s budget will benefit from a weaker domestic currency by boosting the government’s revenue, the depreciation could stoke inflation and raises the possibility that the central bank may soon move to raise interest rates again.

The political crisis “certainly increased the attractiveness of the dollar, causing an additional outflow of funds into foreign currency, foreign banks — both by households and companies,” Lavrova said.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

The Air Jordan Drop So Hot It Blew Up an Alleged $85 Million Ponzi Scheme

A Pop-Up Concert Company Gives Bands a Place to Perform, and 70% of the Profit

How a Prison Gang Inspired by Hollywood Heists Stole $23 Million

EBT Skimmers Are Draining Millions of Dollars From the Neediest Americans

How a $100 Cheetah Cub Becomes an Illegal $50,000 Status Symbol

©2023 Bloomberg L.P.