{"id":67413,"date":"2015-01-30T08:23:05","date_gmt":"2015-01-30T13:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/countingpips.com\/?p=67413"},"modified":"2015-01-30T08:39:10","modified_gmt":"2015-01-30T13:39:10","slug":"russia-cuts-rate-200-bps-to-avoid-further-hit-to-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/forex\/2015\/01\/russia-cuts-rate-200-bps-to-avoid-further-hit-to-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia cuts rate 200 bps to avoid further hit to growth"},"content":{"rendered":"
January 30, 2015<\/div>
\r\n<\/div><\/div>

By CentralBankNews.info<\/u><\/a>
\n    Russia’s central bank slashed its key policy rate by 200 basis points to 15.0 percent to avert “the sizable decline in economic activity against the background of negative external factors.”
    The Bank of Russia said its most recent rate rise – it raised rates by a total of 1,150 basis points last year including 650 points in December – had helped stabilize inflation expectations and the value of the ruble, describing the current “surge of inflation” as temporary and driven by an adjustment to the past depreciation of the ruble.
    Russia’s ruble has tumbled 53 percent against the U.S. dollar since the start of 2014, with most of the decline in the second half of last year as its conflict with Ukraine intensified, Western sanctions were imposed and crude oil prices tumbled.
    This year the ruble has declined over 15 percent but gained slightly to around 70.5 to the dollar from 71.30 in response to the central bank’s rate cut.
    Consumer price inflation accelerated to 13.1 percent as of January 26 from 11.4 percent in December and 6.1 percent in January 2014.
    Inflation is expected to peak in the second quarter but then slowly ease in response to economic weakness, falling money supply and lending growth, dropping below 10 percent by January 2016.
    Russia’s economy has been hit hard by the combination of sanctions and lower oil prices – oil accounts for over half of Russia’s exports and some 15 percent of economic output – and the central bank estimates Gross Domestic Product will shrink by 3.2 percent in the first half of 2015 compared with the same period in 2014 as Russian borrowers are cut off from foreign financial markets, low oil prices slow investments, wages and consumer demand decline.
   In the third quarter of last year GDP expanded by only 0.4 percent from the second quarter for annual growth of 0.7 percent, down from 0.8 percent, and the central bank estimated growth for the full year of 0.6 percent.
    A pick-up in growth in December was largely due to temporary factors, such as growing demand for durable goods amid higher inflation expectations, the central bank said.
<\/a><\/p>\n

    The Bank of Russia issued the following statement:
 
“On 30 January 2015, the Bank of Russia Board of Directors decided to reduce the key rate<\/a> from 17.00 to 15.00 percent per annum due to the shift in the balance of risks of accelerated consumer price growth and cooling economy. The decision to dramatically raise the key rate taken by the Bank of Russia on 15 December 2014 resulted in stabilisation of inflation and depreciation expectations to the extent the Bank of Russia expected. The current surge of inflation is driven by the accelerated price adjustment to the ruble depreciation being time-limited. Further the inflation pressure will be contained by decrease of economic activity. According to Bank of Russia forecast, consumer price growth will be lower than 10% in January 2016. <\/i><\/p>\n

According to the results of the year 2014, inflation totaled 11.4% while core inflation was 11.2%. Meanwhile, in December 2014, monthly consumer price growth was 2.6% amid considerable ruble depreciation, growing inflation expectations and increased consumer demand for non-food items. As of 26 January, annual consumer price growth rate was 13.1%. According to Bank of Russia estimates, monthly consumer price growth will moderate slightly in January 2015, but annual inflation will continue the upward trend with a peak in the Q2 of 2015. <\/div>\n
Current monetary conditions set the ground for inflation decline in the medium run. Annual money supply (M2) growth rate decreased considerably. Significant growth of interest rates on household deposits will stimulate the propensity to save and increase the attractiveness of deposits. Given lending rates hike and tighter borrower and collateral requirements, lending growth (adjusted for currency revaluation) slowed down.<\/div>\n
Certain increase of economic activity in December 2014 was driven by temporal factors, including growing demand for durable goods amid higher inflation expectations on the back of more rapid exchange rate pass-through. According to Bank of Russia estimates, the annual real GDP growth rate for the year 2014 will amount to 0.6%. Further substantial decrease of output is expected amid the deterioration of external conditions resulting from oil price drop and foreign financial markets inaccessibility for Russian borrowers. Amid the increase in prices for the imported investment goods, deterioration in financial performance of companies, persistently limited access to long-term financing, and tighter lending conditions, fixed capital investments will continue to contract. Real wage decrease and a slowdown in retail lending growth will result in lower consumer demand. The negative impact of deteriorated external conditions will be only partially mitigated by the exchange rate dynamics. According to Bank of Russia estimates, annual GDP growth will amount to (-3.2%) in the first half of 2015. The decision taken is aimed at averting the sizeable decline in economic activity against the background of negative external factors.<\/div>\n
The ruble depreciation will further affect the prices of goods and services contributing to the likely increase in annual inflation in the next months. Nevertheless, inflation and inflation expectations are forecasted to decrease as the economy gradually adjusts to changing external conditions and the impact of the exchange rate dynamics on prices exhausts. Slowdown in consumer price growth will be facilitated by subdued aggregate demand with total goods and services output remaining below the potential as well as by slightly tight fiscal policy. Inflation is expected to be lower than 10% in January 2016. <\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

The next meeting of the Bank of Russia Board of Directors on the key rate is scheduled for 13 March 2015<\/a>. The press-release on the Bank of Russia Board of Directors\u2019 decision is to be published at 13:30 Moscow time. “<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

an 27 (Reuters) – Russia’s rouble climbed on Tuesday, recovering some of its poise following a 6 percent drop the previous day after ratings agency Standard & Poor’s cut the country’s rating to junk, though Moscow stocks traded lower.<\/div>\n
The rouble advanced 1 percent against the dollar but Moscow’s dollar-denominated RTS index was 0.7 percent lower with investors fretting about possible new western sanctions.<\/div>\n
Russia’s stock market was closed when S&P<\/a> announced on Monday it was cutting Russia’s rating from BBB- to BB+, citing a weakened economic growth prospect.<\/div>\n
“This (downgrade) is clearly a major headline risk that is going to affect rouble assets in the near term, even though current prices would suggest that a move was to a large extent priced in. Looking ahead, it will be interesting to watch what forced selling occurs on the sovereign debt,” said Benoit Anne, head of emerging markets strategy at Societe Generale.<\/div>\n
The cost of insuring exposure to Russian debt rose past the key 600 basis point mark, according to data provider Markit, while the premium investors demand for holding the country’s bonds over U.S. Treasuries touched fresh 6-week highs. .<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

EU governments who meet on Thursday are also considering new sanctions on Russia, citing Moscow’s “continued and growing support” for separatists in eastern Ukraine.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
jan 21 The Russian Central Bank said on Wednesday that it first takes controlling inflation into account when it makes decisions on its key interest rate.<\/div>\n
The bank also said it would be willing to lower its key rate if there was a stable trend of falling inflation and inflation expectations.<\/div>\n
Consumer prices rose 11.4 percent in December in annual terms, and the Economic Development Ministry has warned that inflation may peak in the spring at 15 to 17 percent.<\/div>\n
Falling oil prices and Western sanctions imposed on Russia for its role in the Ukraine crisis have spurred inflation and pushed the ruble to record lows late last year.<\/div>\n
The Russian currency is still trading nearly 50 percent lower versus the greenback compared to the start of 2014, threatening Russia’s financial stability.<\/div>\n
The Central Bank last increased its key rate in an emergency move on Dec. 16 to an unprecedented level of 17 percent, a measure aimed at curbing the ruble’s slide and bringing down above-target inflation.<\/div>\n
“This decision has helped to stabilize the foreign exchange market, but inflation expectations remain high,” the Central Bank’s press service said in a statement, citing the bank’s governor, Elvira Nabiullina.<\/div>\n
The bank’s next scheduled rate meeting is on Jan. 30.<\/div>\n
“The board \u2026 will decide on the level of the rate based on an assessment of risks to inflation, the current state of the economy and prospects for its development,” the bank said. <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

<\/p>\n

Net capital outflows from Russia were at their highest level ever in 2014.<\/div>\n
Net outflows by companies and banks reached $151.5 billion in 2014, more than two times as much as in 2013, according to the Russian Central Bank<\/a><\/span>. The last time the level of outflows was this high was during the global financial crisis in 2008, when it reached $133.6 billion.<\/span><\/div>\n
The fourth quarter in particular saw a huge spike. Net outflows surged up to $72.9 billion, from $16.9 billion in the previous quarter, following the drop in oil prices and the ruble’s plunge.<\/span><\/div>\n
In dire circumstances like this, a country may choose to implement capital controls in an attempt to curb outflows, and people are worried that Russia is getting to that point.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cWe now think that Russia is willing to tap more intensively one of the dearest reserves it still has: central bank credibility,\u201d Wolf-Fabian Hungerland, an economist at Berenberg Bank in Hamburg, told Bloomberg<\/span><\/a>. \u201cShould capital outflows not decline, the last option effective in the eyes of the central bank would be capital controls.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
“<\/span>Russia in 2006 became the only one of the biggest emerging economies to allow unrestricted flows of money across borders,” Bloomberg<\/a> reports. “Reintroducing such limits would undermine the country\u2019s monetary-policy achievements, [central bank head Elvira] Nabiullina said in October.”<\/span>
<\/span><\/div>\n
But so far, officials have repeatedly insisted that Russia has no plans to limit capital movement.<\/span><\/div>\n
Russia is currently on the edge of its first recession since 2009. Its economy took a serious beating following the sanctions imposed by the EU and US over the country’s invasion of Ukraine, along with plunging oil prices worldwide.<\/div>\n
Additionally, the ruble was one of the worst-performing currencies in 2014. Over the course of the year<\/a>, the ruble fell approximately 40% against the dollar. It is currently trading at around 65 rubles per dollar.<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Read more:  http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/russias-net-outflows-reached-record-1515-billion-2015-1#ixzz3PD5TxFH4<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Russian Central Bank Reshuffle Sign of New Approach to Ruble Crisis<\/h2>\n