The Russian rouble strengthened past the 81 mark against the U.S. dollar on Thursday, reaching its highest level since June 28, 2024, as climbing oil prices and geopolitical optimism fueled investor demand for the currency. As of 09:00 GMT, the rouble was trading 1.5% higher at 80.90 per dollar in …
Read More »Russia’s Budget Deficit Narrows in Q1 2025, But Spending Remains Elevated
Russia’s budget deficit narrowed to 1% of GDP in the first quarter of 2025, equivalent to 2.17 trillion roubles ($25.5 billion), according to a statement released by the Finance Ministry on Tuesday. This marks an improvement from the 1.3% of GDP reported in the first two months of the year. …
Read More »Russia Holds Interest Rate at 21% as Rouble Strengthens
The Russian central bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 21% during its board meeting on Friday, maintaining a tight monetary stance despite recent economic optimism fueled by improving U.S.-Russia relations. Key Takeaways from the Decision: The rate remains at 21%, a level set in October 2024 to combat …
Read More »Russian Central Bank Keeps Rates Steady at 21%, Defying Market Expectations
The Russian Central Bank surprised markets on Friday by maintaining its key interest rate at 21%, contrary to widespread expectations of a 2-percentage-point hike. Analysts had anticipated a rate increase to 23%, but the bank justified its decision by citing the effectiveness of recent tightening measures in curbing inflationary pressures. …
Read More »Russia reduces the share of the Middle East and OPEC in the Indian oil market to unprecedented levels
European stock markets opened lower on Friday, hitting their lowest levels in over a month as concerns over the escalating conflict in the Middle East weighed on trader sentiment. However, L’Oreal shares (EPA:OREP) bucked the trend and rose after the French cosmetics giant reported better-than-expected quarterly sales results. The European …
Read More »IMF: Russian economy will grow faster than the US
The International Monetary Fund expects that Russia’s economy will grow by 3.2% in 2024, outpacing all advanced economies, including the US. Despite the war, high investment and robust private consumption have driven Russia’s economy forward. The IMF expects this momentum to fade in 2025, with Russia growing at a rate …
Read More »US Targets Russian Firms Breaching Sanctions
Thirteen businesses and two individuals are under investigation by the US Treasury Department for allegedly assisting Russia in avoiding sanctions by using virtual money and technological services. Fintech, namely financial technology, companies that collaborated with Russian banks under sanctions to enable transactions and provide virtual currency solutions are the focus …
Read More »Russia Affirms Commitment to OPEC+ Quota Amid Oil Refining Decline
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak reaffirmed Moscow’s commitment to adhere to its quota within the OPEC+ agreement, despite a recent decline in oil refining. Novak’s statement, reported by the Russian TASS news agency on Tuesday, underscores Russia’s dedication to the collaborative effort led by the Organization of the Petroleum …
Read More »Russian Finance Minister: The budget deficit will reach about 1.5% of GDP in 2023
:Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov recently announced on state television that the projected budget deficit for 2023 is set to reach approximately 2.9 trillion rubles, equivalent to $31.6 billion, or about 1.5% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Siluanov highlighted that both expenditures and revenues exceeded initial expectations, attributing …
Read More »Russia: We will start buying foreign currencies if the price of oil ranges between 88 and 90 dollars per barrel
The head of the Russian Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, revealed in an interview with Russian media that the bank is poised to initiate the purchase of foreign currencies if oil prices reach the range of $88 to $90 per barrel. She further indicated that the bank will persist in selling …
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