Germany will supply Ukraine with 16 Biber bridge-laying tanks, the German Ministry of Defense has reported.
“We continue to support! To further support the ground forces of Ukraine, Minister Lambrecht has decided to deliver a batch of 16 Biber armored bridge layers. They can be used to overcome water or other obstacles in battle,” the ministry said on Twitter on Friday.
Fenerbahce lost at home to Dynamo Kyiv (1:2) in the second leg of the 2nd round of the 2022/23 Champions League qualification. The first game in Kyiv ended in a 0-0 draw, in the game in Turkey we had to play overtime.
The winner of this pair goes to the Austrian Sturm. The loser is waiting for the Czech club Slovacko already in the Europa League. The first game with the Austrian Sturm at Dynamo (Kyiv) will take place on August 2.
The Federal Reserve System (FRS) has raised the interest rate on federal funds (federal funds rate) by 75 basis points, now its range is 2.25-2.5% per annum, according to a communiqué of the Federal Committee for Operations on open market (FOMC) following the results of the July meeting.
The decision coincided with the forecasts of economists and market participants and was adopted unanimously by all 12 voting members of the FOMC. The Committee met in full force for the first time in recent years.
Thus, the Fed raised the rate by 75 bp. following the results of the second meeting in a row and noted that he expects to continue the course of tightening monetary policy, which will be expressed in an increase in rates and a decrease in the volume of assets on the balance sheet of the central bank.
The regulator’s management noted the weakening of production indicators and spending in the US economy, and at the same time pointed to a strong growth in the number of jobs in recent months, while maintaining low unemployment.
“Inflation remains elevated, reflecting the supply-demand imbalance caused by the pandemic, rising food and energy prices, and broader price pressures,” the document said.
The war in Ukraine creates “additional upward pressure on inflation and negatively affects global economic activity,” Fed officials said.
As previously reported, US consumer price growth accelerated to 9.1% in June from 8.6% in May, hitting a 40-year high.
“FOMC aims to achieve maximum employment and inflation at 2% in the long term,” – the message says.
“In evaluating the appropriateness of monetary policy, the FOMC will continue to monitor the impact of incoming information on the economic outlook. The Fed is ready to adjust its approach to monetary policy, if necessary, if risks arise that could hinder the achievement of FOMC goals,” the communiqué says. take into account a wide range of information, including data from the health sector, labor market conditions, inflationary pressures and inflation expectations, developments in financial markets, as well as international developments.”
American financial markets reacted moderately to the results of the Fed meeting, as they were largely taken into account in current quotes. The Dow Jones stock index by 21:16 Moscow time increased by 0.4%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 rose by 1.44%, and the Nasdaq Composite – by 2.65%. The yield on 10-year US government bonds is still close to 2.77%.
NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy has announced a default on its eurobonds due to the government’s refusal to agree on payments on them.
“The deadline for payments to holders of Naftogaz Eurobonds expired on July 26 without payment taking place,” the company said in a press release published on Tuesday evening.
Naftogaz said that the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers had earlier on July 21 issued order No. 625-r obliging Naftogaz officials to seek Cabinet approval before executing any transactions related to the company’s eurobonds.
In its official letter to the government, Naftogaz indicated the availability of the necessary funds in its accounts to cover eurobond payments. Naftogaz officials also detailed the possible negative consequences for the company and for the country in the event of a hard default on eurobond payments.
The company said that in response, the Cabinet of Ministers failed to provide permission for Naftogaz to fulfill its payment obligations to eurobond holders for either the 2022 issue or the 2024 issue.
“The government has therefore defaulted on Naftogaz eurobond payments. As this failure to meet its eurobond obligations effectively deprives Naftogaz of access to international capital markets, the Cabinet of Ministers as the responsible party now assumes full responsibility for raising the funds necessary for the import of natural gas for the 2022-2023 heating season,” the company said in the press release.
The Ukrainian Sea Ports Administration (USPA) reports on the ongoing preparation of the ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny for the resumption of work in connection with the signing on July 22 in Istanbul of the Initiative for the export of grain and related food products by sea.
“Considering the above, we inform you that the event and the exit of ships to the indicated seaports will be carried out by forming a caravan, which will be accompanied by a leading ship,” the USPA posted on Facebook on Saturday.
In order to draw up plans for the formation of caravans, USPA asks to submit applications for the inclusion of ships by e-mail.
During the signing of the Initiative and immediately after it, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said that ship traffic could resume in the coming days.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) expects a reduction in international reserves in the second half of the year by 8.6% – from $22.8 billion to $20.8 billion and maintaining them at this level in 2023, the regulator’s forecast says.
According to him, at the end of 2023, the reserves will amount to $21.2 billion, and in 2024 they will grow to $28.7 billion.
At the same time, the current account balance, according to the regulator’s forecasts, will be positive and amount to $6.4 billion by the end of 2022, while at the end of last year it was negative and amounted to $3.2 billion.
The NBU expects that by the end of 2023 and 2024 this figure will be negative and amount to $3.9 billion and $8.8 billion, respectively.
