Net sales of dollars by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) this week totaled $520.4 million compared to $427.5 million last week.
According to the NBU on its website, from June 26 to June 30, 2023, its purchases of currency increased from $8.3 million to $12.6 million, while sales increased from $435.8 million to $533.0 million.
On the cash market, the dollar rose by only about 3 kopecks during the week. – UAH/$1 to UAH 37.25.
Since the beginning of the year, the NBU bought $177.9 mln at the market, while it sold $12 bln 455.9 mln.
As it was reported, the volume of interventions of the National Bank in May increased to $1.93 billion, compared to $1.37 billion in February and $1.67 billion in March.
However, due to a significant influx of external financing, international reserves rose by 4%, or $1.358 billion – to $37 billion 311.3 million in May.
For June, interventions amounted to about $1.9 billion, which is again noticeably less than Ukraine’s external financing, which amounted to about $3 billion.
Zaporizhstal steelmaker Zaporizhstal in January-June this year increased shipment of rolled steel by 1.8% compared to the same period of the last year – up to 844.2 thousand tons.
According to the company, smelting steel during this period rose by 10.5% to 1 million 18.9 thousand tons, and iron – by 1.1%, to 1 million 145.8 thousand tons.
In June 2023, Zaporizhstal produced 131.9 thousand tons of cast iron (in June 2022 – 72.8 thousand tons), 159.4 thousand tons of steel (69.6 thousand tons), shipped 199.1 thousand tons of rolled steel (146.9 thousand tons).
“The increase in production levels in June 2023 compared to the same period last year was due to the withdrawal of blast furnace No. 2 from hot preservation mode and the adjustment of the operating mode of three blast furnaces,” the press release explains.
At the same time, production went down in May. Thus, in the previous month was produced 229.6 thousand tons of iron, 213.3 thousand tons of steel, but the shipment of steel was lower – 180.5 thousand tons.
It’s worth mentioning that due to intensified military operations in the region, since the beginning of March 2022 Metinvest Group has put some of Zaporizhstal’s equipment into hot standby. At the end of March of the same year the plant partially resumed cold-rolling shop operation for production and shipment of cold-rolled coils to European consumers. A month after the forced shutdown the mill put the equipment out of conservation and partially resumed production. Since April 2022 the mill has been working at an average of 50% capacity.
As it was reported, in 2022 “Zaporizhstal” decreased the output of rolled steel by 60.4% compared to 2021 – down to 1 million 304.3 thousand tons, steel – by 61.7% to 1 million 491.3 thousand tons, iron – by 54.3%, to 2 million 9.9 thousand tons.
“Zaporizhstal” is one of the biggest industrial enterprises in Ukraine, which products are in great demand among the consumers on the internal market and in many countries of the world. The plant specializes in high-quality carbon and low-alloy steel coils, hot-rolled plates, cold-rolled sheets, cold-rolled coils, as well as steel straps, tin plates, formed sections.
Main consumers are producers of welded pipes, enterprises of automotive, transport, agricultural engineering, producers of household appliances.
“Zaporizhstal is currently in the process of integration into Metinvest Group the main shareholders of which are CJSC “System Capital Management” (71.24%) and Smart Holding group of companies (23.76%).
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
Moldova in January-March 2023 increased 6.5 times the export of alcoholic beverages to Ukraine – up to $ 9.40 million compared to the same period last year ($ 1.44 million), the National Bank of Moldova (NBM) said.
“With a share of 17.6% of the total export volume, Ukraine has become the main market for Moldovan alcohol, pushing Belarus and Romania to second and third place with shares of 17.1% and 14.5%, respectively,” – as quoted from NBM information, Moldovan edition mold-street.com
At the same time, Ukraine was on the first place among the importers of alcohol to Moldova, Russia – on the eighth.
In the first quarter of this year, Moldova increased the export of alcohol and ethyl alcohol by 26.8%, which in monetary terms amounted to $ 53.47 million.
The Kiev analytical Club of Experts, in order to promote Ukrainian wine, began a series of seminars and tastings. You can learn more about it by following the link
Zaporizhkoks PJSC, one of Ukraine’s largest producers of coke products, a part of Metinvest group, in January-June this year increased blast furnace coke production by 30.8% y-o-y, to 426.8 thousand tons from 326.3 thousand tons.
According to the company data, in June 2023 it produced 71.1 thousand tons of blast-furnace coke, whereas in June 2022 it was 68.4 thousand tons (4% increase).
“Zaporizhkoks” in 2022 decreased the production of blast-furnace coke by 11.9% compared to 2021 – to 737.4 thousand tons, including 70.8 coke produced in December.
“Zaporizhkoks” produces about 10% of coke produced in Ukraine, owns a full technological cycle of processing of coke products. It also produces coke gas and pitch coke.
“Metinvest is a vertically integrated mining group of companies. Its major shareholders are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%) that jointly manage the company.
Metinvest Holding LLC is the managing company of Metinvest group.
Police and gendarmes in France detained 719 rioters overnight, the country’s Interior Ministry said Sunday morning.
That figure is less than 24 hours earlier: on Saturday morning authorities had informed about 994 people detained during the night. And a few hours later, more complete figures came in about 1,311 detainees.
In general, as noted by the French media, it seems that this night in the cities of the country was somewhat calmer than previous ones. There were reports of 577 arson attacks on cars, as well as fires in 74 buildings. Hooligans also attempted to attack 10 gendarmerie barracks and six municipal police stations. All these figures are lower than on Saturday.
According to the French Interior Ministry, 54 police officers and gendarmes were injured overnight (79 the day before).
One of the most dangerous incidents occurred in the Parisian suburb of L’Ay-les-Roses, where hooligans set fire to a car and, seeking to use it as a battering ram, directed it toward the mayor’s house. One of the mayor’s children was injured. The police classified the incident as an attempted murder and are investigating.
Order in the French cities on Sunday night was provided by 45 thousand police officers and gendarmes.
On Saturday there was a funeral for a teenager who was shot and killed by a police officer on Tuesday in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. The young French resident, while driving a car, refused to stop at the request of the police. A policeman then shot him. An investigation is under way to determine whether the policeman acted correctly. This incident provoked a wave of night-time unrest throughout the country, which has not subsided to this day.
Approximate gross yield of cereals, leguminous plants and cereals in Ukraine, taking into account the areas under winter and sown spring crops in 2023, could be about 49.6 million tons compared to 53.1 million tons a year earlier, reported in the analytical agency “APK-Inform” with reference to the Ukrhydrometeocenter.
“Analysis of peculiarities of meteorological conditions of vegetation of grain, leguminous and cereal crops, state of crops, available reserves of productive moisture in the soil and agrometeorological calculations allow us to expect winter wheat yield in 2023 at 4, 3 tons/ha, winter rye – 3.2 tons/ha, winter barley – 3.5 tons/ha, spring barley – 3.2 tons/ha, spring wheat – 3.7 tons/ha, oats – 2.5 tons/ha, pea – 2.3 tons/ha, corn – 6.5 tons/ha, millet – 2.1 tons/ha, buckwheat – 1.1 tons/ha,” the report says.
According to the report, agrometeorological conditions for the formation of grain crops in Ukraine this year were satisfactory. But during the growing season there were some unfavorable periods, which could adversely affect the yield. As a result of excessive rains in April on the fields in some areas was overwatering the soil, creating difficult conditions for the conduct and completion of sowing of early spring grain and leguminous crops in optimal time.
The weather that prevailed in May (frequent rains, decreased air temperature, increased relative humidity during the day, cloudiness and prolonged dews) were able to restrain the development of dry phenomena.
In June weather in Ukraine had significant temperature contrasts (…), there was a shortage of effective precipitation in many areas of the south, central and northern regions, which led to a shortened growing season, early and simultaneous maturation of grain early crops in central and southern regions, stated in Ukrhydrometeocenter.
As reported, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy predicts a grain and leguminous crops in 2023 at 46 million tons, which is 10-15% less than a year earlier. At the same time, it is 2.5 times more than the domestic needs of Ukraine. There is no risk of grain shortage for domestic purposes today, the ministry said.
