Capital investments in Ukraine for 2018 increased by 16.4%, while for 2017 by 22.1%, the State Statistics Service has said.
Ukraine’s real gross domestic product (GDP) in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2018 increased by 3.4% compared to the same period of 2017, while it grew by 2.8% in the third quarter, by 3.8% in the second quarter, and by 3.1% in the first quarter, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine said.
The Economic Development and Trade Ministry of Ukraine expects that the country’s economy will grow by 3.8% in 2020 and by 4.1% in 2021.
Ukraine’s Economic Development and Trade Ministry has promptly assessed growth of the country’s GDP at 3.2%, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said at a government meeting.
The indicator of economic sentiment in Ukraine calculated by the State Statistics Service in the first quarter of 2019 was 106.3% compared with 104% and 106.1% respectively in the fourth and first quarters of 2018.
The deficit of Ukraine’s foreign trade in 2018 was estimated at $5.83 billion, which was 2.3 times more than the indicator in 2017, the State Statistics Service reported.
The deficit of Ukraine’s foreign trade in goods in 2018 grew by 54.5% compared with 2017, to $9.801 billion (to $6.343 billion in 2017), the State Statistics Service said.
The surplus of Ukraine’s foreign trade in services in 2018 increased by 15.5% from 2017, to $6.049 billion ($5.238 billion in 2017), the State Statistics Service reported.
Ukraine in 2018 expanded geography of export of goods and increased the number of companies, which were authorized to export food of animal origin, according to a report of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumers’ Protection.
Inflation in Ukraine in January 2019 was 1% against 0.8% in December 2018, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine said.
Industrial producers’ prices in Ukraine in January 2019 increased by 1% after a decline in December 2018 by 0.4% and an increase in November by 1.7%, in October by 0.3% and September by 1.2%, the State Statistics Service.
The deficit of the national budget of Ukraine in January 2019 amounted to UAH 11.93 billion, in particular the general fund deficit was UAH 18.2 billion with the target being UAH 15.82 billion, according to the State Treasury Service.
Revenue of Ukraine’s national budget in January 2019 totaled UAH 54.49 billion, which is UAH 6.56 billion or 10.8% less than the target for the period, and UAH 700 million or 1.3% less than in January 2018.
The assets of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) in 2018 increased by 2.4% and amounted to UAH 1.051 trillion, the corresponding financial indicators were published by the central bank in the Holos Ukrainy newspaper.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has reviewed downwards the assessment of growth of real GDP of the country in 2018 to 3.3% from 3.4%, according to a posting on the website of the central bank.
The aggregate state (direct) and state-guaranteed debt of Ukraine in January 2019 decreased by 0.09%, or $ 70million, compared to December 2018, to $78.25 billion, the Ministry of Finance has reported.
The ratio of the state debt and the gross domestic product (GDP) of Ukraine in 2018 fell to 60.9% from 68% in 2017, according to a presentation of the Economic Development and Trade Ministry of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s international reserves did not change in January 2019 and remained at the level of $20.82 billion in the equivalent, according to the website of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
The surplus of Ukraine’s balance of payment in 2018 grew by 12.1% compared with the previous year, to $2.88 billion, according to preliminary data published by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
Industrial production in Ukraine in January 2019 decreased by 3.3% compared with January 2018, whereas in January last year its growth by 4.3% was recorded, the State Statistics Service has reported.
The volume of sold industrial products (goods, services) in 2018 stood at UAH 2.507 trillion, which is 16.5% more than in 2017, in particular the volume sold abroad was worth UAH 681.927 billion, the State Statistics Service has reported.
Transport enterprises of Ukraine in January 2019 increased cargo transportation by 4.8% compared to January 2018, to 51.5 million tonnes. The transport companies of Ukraine in January 2019 reduced passenger traffic by 6.5% compared with January 2018, to 342.9 million people, the State Statistics Service has reported.
The volume of construction work performed in Ukraine in January 2019 increased by 6.2% compared with January 2018, while the indicator in December 2018 compared with December 2017 fell by 8.8%, according to statistics.
Retail trade turnover in Ukraine in comparable prices in January 2019 increased by 6.3% compared to January 2018, the State Statistics Service has reported.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Ukraine as equity capital as of late 201, was $32.29 billion, which was 2.2%, or $0.69 billion, up on the beginning of the year, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine said. According to the retrospective data, which the authority also announced, the inflow of FDI last year exceeded the figure for 2017, when it amounted $0.38 billion, whereas before this, for three years, FDI fell by a total of $22.47 billion.
In 2018, nonresidents increased investment in Ukraine by $2.87 billion, while disinvesting $0.97 billion, it said. Some $1.22 billion FDI was written off due to the change of the cost and the exchange rate, losses and reclassification.
This is slightly better than in 2017 when residents increased investment in Ukraine by $2.51 billion and disinvested $0.76 billion.
According to previously published data, quarterly inflows of FDI in Ukraine last year were recorded in the first and fourth quarter, $1.15 billion and $0.32 billion respectively, while in the second and third quarters their outflow was recorded – $0.66 billion and $0.12 billion respectively.
The Netherlands was the leader in FDI in 2018 – $951.5 million or more than one third of all investment, followed by Russia and Cyprus – $495.6 million and $477.6 million respectively.
FDI from Austria accounted for $203.7 million, France – $110.9 million, the U.K. – almost $98.7 million, and from Poland – $90.6 million.
Nonresidents invested $1.215 billion in financial and insurance activities, or 42.3% of all FDI, $599.4 million in wholesale and retail trade, $405.3 million in transactions with property, $302.1 million in industry and $119.4 million in IT and telecom.
Intertop Ukraine LLC (Kyiv), founded by MTI Holding, plans to open Ukraine’s first mono-brand store of the U.S. outdoor brand The North Face and eight more stores in the River Shopping trade and entertainment center with a total area of 140,000 square meters being built in Darnytsky district in Kyiv. The press service of River Mall told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency that the total area of Intertop Ukraine stores in the facility will be 1,300 square meters.
“Intertop Ukraine opens the first mono-brand store of the legendary U.S. brand The North Face and eight more stores in the River Mall center. Among them are such well-known international brands as Armani Exchange, Napapijri, Marc O’Polo, Ecco, Skechers, Geox, Timberland, as well as the Intertop store for the whole family,” the report says.
The North Face store will become the first mono-brand store in the Intertop Ukraine portfolio in Ukraine. It will present male and female clothes, as well as accessories.
“As of the end of January 2019, the design of the stores is at the completion stage. In the near future, the company is ready to start repair and construction work. The opening of the stores is scheduled simultaneously with the official opening of the River Mall center in the spring of this year,” the press service said.
Intertop Ukraine was founded by the international trading holding MTI, one of the largest distributors of computer and office equipment in Ukraine.
Ukraine on February 28 raised a loan of EUR 529 million from Deutsche Bank under the guarantee of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, the World Bank Group), according to the website of the Ministry of Finance. The funds were received in two tranches: an A tranche in the amount of EUR240 million with maturity in four years and a B tranche in the amount of EUR289 million with a final maturity in ten years (four years and six months after raising the funds, the loan is subject to gradual repayment with certain amounts every half a year).
The second part of the guarantee in the amount of $375 million in the euro equivalent of the total amount of the World Bank guarantees of $750 million was used for the loan.
As reported, the World Bank Board of Executive Directors on December 18, 2018 approved the provision of guarantees to Ukraine in the amount of $750 million in support of state policy.