Net sale of dollars by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) rose from $133.7m, the lowest value in the last 11 months, to $262.6m this week, the regulator’s data show.
According to them, the sale of currency increased from $156.8 million to $263.0 million, while the purchase fell back to almost zero, although the National Bank managed to buy more than $50 million on the market in the previous two weeks after a long break.
The official hryvnia exchange rate weakened by almost 66 kop. – From 38.1410 UAH/$1 to $38.7998 UAH/$1 – the lowest level in the history of the national currency. At the same time, market participants note that the decline occurred with a relatively small volume of trading.
On the cash market, the hryvnia exchange rate followed the interbank rate, but with a smaller amplitude: a strong weakening in the first three days and relative stabilization at the end of the week. As a result, during the week it decreased by about 33 kop. – from UAH 38.53/$1 to UAH 38.86/$1. At the same time, according to the NBU, despite the weakening of the exchange rate in the first half of the week, the negative balance between the volume of foreign currency purchases and sales by the population decreased during these days: from $28.6 mln on Monday to $10.3 mln on Wednesday
At a press conference on March 14, representatives of the National Bank said that by the end of April they expect external financing in the amount of $10bn or more, which will allow to restore reserves, while before that Ukraine had received only $1.2bn since the beginning of the year.
At the same time, the NBU noted that such non-rhythmic external financing will not lead to any shocks on the currency market.
As reported, at the end of February, the NBU’s net sales fell to $1.50 billion from $2.53 billion in January, $3.55 billion in December and $2.45 billion in November.
However, in February, external support amounted to only about $0.8bn, so international reserves fell by 3.8% or $1.47bn to $37.05bn after falling by 4.9% or UAH $1.98bn in January.
The National Bank in January lowered its forecast for Ukraine’s international reserves at the end of 2024 to $40.4 billion from $44.7 billion.
The negative balance of Ukraine’s foreign trade in goods in January 2024 decreased by 11.7% compared to the same month in 2023 – to $1.678 billion from $1.9 billion, the State Statistics Service (Gosstat) said on Friday. According to its data, exports of goods from Ukraine in January 2024 compared to January 2023 increased by 8.2% to $3.4 billion, while imports increased by 0.7% to $5.078 billion.
The State Statistics Committee specified that in January-2024 compared to December-2023 seasonally adjusted exports increased by 7.4% to $3.47 billion, while imports remained virtually unchanged at $5.536 billion.
The seasonally adjusted foreign trade balance in January-2024 was negative at $2.066 billion, while December-2023 also recorded a negative balance of $2.304 billion.
The coefficient of export coverage of imports in January 2024 amounted to 0.67 (in January 2023 – 0.62).
State Statistics specified that foreign trade operations were conducted with partners from 191 countries. Analytical Center Experts Club presented a video analysis of the main trends in the economy of Ukraine and the world – https://youtu.be/w5fF_GYyrIc?si=vN_Jp0fh8u1xN_U2.
The former head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration, Serhiy Haidai, has been appointed head of the Mukachevo District State Administration in Zakarpattia Oblast.
The corresponding decree of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy No. 30/2024-rp of March 15 was published on the website of the head of state.
Previously, this position was held by Edgar Tokar, who was dismissed.
Haidai was the head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration from October 2019 to March 2023.
The Falcon 9 launch vehicle on Saturday successfully put into orbit another batch of 23 mini-satellites to replenish the orbital constellation of the Starlink system’s global Internet coverage network, developer SpaceX said.
“The launch of 23 Starlink satellites has been confirmed,” the statement said.
The rocket was launched from Launch Complex 39A of the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida on Friday at 20:21 US East Coast time (Saturday at 02:21 Kiev time). About an hour later, the satellites were put into orbit.
Since May 2019, SpaceX has already launched more than 6 thousand such satellites under the Starlink project. Some of them failed or went out of orbit. More than 5.6 thousand vehicles are in orbit in working condition.
During the launch, the first reusable stage of the launch vehicle, which was used for the 19th time, after separation made a controlled vertical landing on the offshore drone platform A Shortfall of Gravitas, which was located in the Atlantic.
On Sunday, March 17, it will be cloudy in Kyiv and the region, with clearings, no significant precipitation at night and in the morning, rain in the afternoon, southwest wind, 5-10 m/s, the Ukrainian Weather Center reports.
Temperatures in the region will be 1-6° Celsius at night and 8-13° Celsius during the day, and 3-5° Celsius at night and 10-12° Celsius during the day in Kyiv.
On Monday and Tuesday, the region will have cloudy weather with clearings, rain on March 18, sleet at night, moderate sleet at night, light rain in some places during the day, northwest wind with a shift to southwest, 5-10 m/s.
In the region on Monday, the temperature at night will be 0-5 ° C, during the day 2-7 ° C, on Tuesday – at night from 3 ° C to 2 ° C, during the day 2-7 ° C. In the capital, on Monday – at night 0-2° C, during the day 4-6° C, on Tuesday – at night 0-2° C, during the day 4-6° C.
On Wednesday and Thursday, March 20-21, there will be occasional light rain in the region, with sleet at night. The temperature in the Kyiv region will be from 4° C to 1° C at night, 4-9° C during the day, in Kyiv – 1-3° C at night, 6-8° C during the day.
On Saturday within Kiev the level of the Dnieper rose to its absolute maximum since the beginning of 2024, emergency flooding in the city has not been recorded, according to the head of the Kiev City Military Administration Sergey Popko.
“The level of the Dnieper within Kiev has risen to its absolute maximum since the beginning of 2024. As of 16.03.2014, it is fixed at the mark of 601 cm above the “0” post. Water temperature – 3.9 deg. C”, – said in a message published in the telegram channel on Saturday.
According to monitoring data, over the past 7 days, the level of the Dnieper within Kiev has increased by more than 60 centimeters. At the same time there is a significant fluctuation of water during the day.
“The rise in water level and such significant fluctuations are due to the increase in water discharges from the Kiev reservoir due to the passage of spring floods. Therefore, there is an initial flooding of floodplains and low-lying riverine areas”, – noted in the press service of the KHVA.
In Kiev announced I level of danger of hydrological phenomena. In the capital as of Saturday emergency flooding has not been recorded, industrial facilities and residential areas are out of danger. Monitoring of the current flood continues.
“According to forecasts Ukrgidrometcenter, at least until March 19, the level of the Dnieper in Kiev will be kept above the marks of initial flooding of floodplains and low riverine areas,” – said Popko.
