Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Ukrainian citizens have a mostly positive attitude towards Turkey – study

Active Group and Experts Club have conducted a joint study on the attitudes of Ukrainians towards the countries of East Asia and the Middle East. The study was presented at the Interfax-Ukraine news agency in June 2024. The research was presented by Maksym Urakin and Oleksandr Poznyi. The results of the study are as follows:

The results of the survey are as follows:
Completely positive – 7.7
Mostly positive – 47.4
Mostly negative – 14.1 %.
Completely negative – 2.4
Difficult to answer – 28.5%.
Positive – Negative – 38.5

On November 20, 1991, Ukraine and Turkey established consular relations. On February 3, 1992, the Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the two countries was signed. On April 3, 1992, the Embassy of Turkey was opened in Kyiv.

A joint study by Active Group and Experts Club on the attitudes of Ukrainians towards the countries of East Asia and the Middle East was conducted in April-May 2024. It covers such countries as Turkey, Iran, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, India, China, Republic of Korea, DPRK, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Syria, and Iraq. Full information on the research is available on the website of the Club of Experts at

https://expertsclub.eu/rezultaty-spilnogo-socziologichnogo-doslidzhennya-provedenogo-experts-club-ta-kompaniyeyu-active-group-shhodo-stavlennya-ukrayincziv-do-krayin-blyzkogo-shodu-ta-czentralnoyi-aziyi/

Video – https://interfax.com.ua/news/video/986648.html

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Ukraine’s GDP growth rate slowed to 3.5% in May

Ukraine’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate slowed to 3.5% in May from 4.2% in April and 4.8% in March as a result of significant damage to electricity generation by Russian attacks, the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IEPC) said in its Monthly Economic Monitor.

“Due to the damage to electricity generation, restrictions on business electricity supply have been applied. The IED estimates that the growth rate in the processing industry has slowed to 5% from 11%. At the same time, easier logistics supported the sector’s growth. We are talking, in particular, about machine building and metallurgy,” the IED noted.

According to the institute’s estimates, real gross value added (GVA) growth in the extractive industry increased by 2% due to fairly stable production of gas, iron ore, as well as construction materials.

Real GVA in transportation rose by almost 15%, up from 11% in April, in part due to the unblocking of western borders as well as the statistical base effect.

“In contrast to the weak performance of the “grain corridor” in 2023, the Ukrainian Maritime Corridor allows us to maintain high exports through seaports. At the same time, not only grain, but also iron ore and metallurgy products are brought in,” the IEI stated.

In May, as in the previous three months, consumer inflation was slightly above 3% (3.3%). The IEI believes that this reflected a good harvest last year (and for some products this year) and low export prices for Ukrainian agricultural products compared to last year, lower logistics costs for imports and significant competition for consumer demand.

According to the IEI, this has so far compensated for the increase in a number of business expenses due to rising wages, rising fuel and electricity costs, and the weakening of the hryvnia against the dollar.

It is expected that the balance between the factors restraining price growth and growth of suppliers’ and retailers’ expenses may change in the next months and lead to acceleration of inflation.

At the same time, moderate inflation expectations and relatively limited demand will further restrain price growth, so sharp price increases for most goods are not expected. The exception was the government’s increase in electricity tariff, which led to an increase in the consumer price index by more than 1%.

Monthly inflation accelerated to 0.6% in May due to a 10% rise in fruit prices. At the same time, egg prices continued to fall: they fell in price by 14% and almost halved compared to December last year. Prices for other goods rose by an average of 0.3%.

As reported, after Ukraine’s GDP growth of 5.3% in 2023, the National Bank expects it to slow down to 3% in 2024, while the government expects it to slow down to 4.6%. According to the Ministry of Economy, GDP growth for January-April this year amounted to 4.4%, while the NBU estimated it at 3.7%.
Earlier, the analytical center Experts Club and Maxim Urakin released a video analysis of how the GDP of the world’s countries has changed in recent years, more detailed video analysis is available here – https://youtu.be/w5fF_GYyrIc?si=BsZmIUERHSBJrO_3.

Subscribe to Experts Club YouTube channel here – https://www.youtube.com/@ExpertsClub

 

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Macroeconomic trends in the first quarter of 2024: analysis of the situation by Experts Club

In a new video on its YouTube channel, Kyiv-based think tank Experts Club has presented an analysis of economic trends in the first quarter of 2024 in Ukraine and globally based on official data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the NBU, the UN, the World Bank, and expert forecasts.

Macroeconomic indicators of Ukraine

According to the Center’s founder, Maksym Urakin, in the first quarter of 2024, Ukraine’s GDP grew by 4.1% to 5.3% compared to the same period last year.

“The main growth factors were an increase in agricultural exports and production activity in certain industries. However, the negative balance of foreign trade in goods in the first quarter amounted to almost $6 billion, which is 10% more than last year. This is due to an increase in energy imports after the strikes on the Ukrainian energy sector in March,” Urakin said.

According to the founder of the Experts Club, Ukraine’s national debt has reached a new historical high of $151 billion, which is almost 6 trillion hryvnia in hryvnia equivalent. Inflation in Ukraine in the first quarter was 1% year-on-year, which is in line with the NBU’s target range.

Global economy

Maksym Urakin noted that analysts forecast that the global economy will grow by 2% in 2024, which is lower than expected at the end of last year. The main reasons for the slowdown are high interest rates in developed countries and global geopolitical uncertainty.

“The US economy grew by 1.6% in the first quarter of 2024, which is lower than the growth rate observed in previous quarters, but still at an acceptable level for the development of the country’s economy. China’s economy grew by 5% due to a partial recovery from the crisis and government injections into the technology cluster,” the expert summarized.

He also reminded that the European Commission expects the eurozone economy to grow by only 0.8% in 2024, even less than 1%.

“High inflation and weak domestic demand remain the main problems of the EU countries. However, the British economy showed a modest growth of 0.6%, which indicates a weak recovery after the pandemic and Brexit,” Urakin said.

The economic situation in the world remains tense and depends on many factors, including geopolitical risks and changes in the global economic and political landscape. Experts Club will continue to monitor the situation and provide up-to-date and balanced news.

You can learn more about the macroeconomics of Ukraine and the world in the video by following the link:

Subscribe to the Experts Club channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@ExpertsClub

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Key economic indicators of first quarter of 2024 in Ukraine and world from Experts Club

The article summarizes and analyzes the main macroeconomic indicators of Ukraine. In connection with the entry into force of the Law of Ukraine “On Protection of the Interests of Business Entities during Martial Law or a State of War”, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine suspends the publication of statistical information for the period of martial law, as well as for three months after its termination. The exception is the publication of information on the consumer price index, separate information on statistical indicators for 2021 and for the period January-February 2022. The article analyzes open data from the State Statistics Service, the National Bank, and think tanks.

Maksim Urakin, PhD in Economics, founder of the Experts Club think tank, presented an analysis of macroeconomic trends in Ukraine and the world based on official data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the NBU, the UN, the IMF, and the World Bank.

Macroeconomic indicators of Ukraine
Maksim Urakin cited the National Bank of Ukraine’s data on the improvement of the financial situation in 2023 compared to 2022 and the forecast for 2024.
“Optimistic forecasts for international financing, recovery of supply chains, seasonal business revival and growth in domestic demand, as well as slowing inflation, have contributed to positive expectations for economic stabilization in the near future. However, damaged energy infrastructure, rising logistics and labor costs, and a shortage of qualified personnel due to demographic factors remain constraining factors,” Urakin emphasized.
The expert noted that the risks to the economy also include a possible intensification of military operations in the summer and instability of international assistance.
“The baseline scenario for the macroeconomic situation in the country envisages further implementation of prudent monetary and fiscal policies with a focus on maintaining financial stability. Ukraine must consistently fulfill its obligations under cooperation programs with international partners, which will lead to an increase in the public debt to GDP ratio,” the economist said.

Global Economic Outlook
Maksim Urakin also analyzed the global economy, noting a slight improvement in the situation compared to the previous forecast.
“Global economic growth in 2024 may slightly exceed last year’s level, as countries such as India, China and the United States have picked up in recent months. However, the global economic recovery is still constrained by geopolitical conflicts, protectionist policies of major powers and persistent inflation,” the expert explained.
According to the expert, global GDP growth is likely to remain at 2.9% to 3.2% this year and will only slightly accelerate to 3.4% in 2025.
For Ukraine, the main challenges in the coming years will be the need to restore Ukraine after the war and manage the public debt.

 

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Foreign investment in China in January-April fell by nearly 30%

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in mainland China’s economy in January-April fell 27.9% year-on-year to 360.2 billion yuan ($49.7 billion), according to the country’s Ministry of Commerce.

That included 58.5 billion yuan in FDI last month, the lowest since November. The figure fell 36% year-over-year and 32% month-over-month.

In January-April, about 12.7% of total investment was in the PRC’s high-tech sector.

As reported, FDI in 2023 fell 8% to 1.13 trillion yuan.
Experts Club Analytical Center and Maxim Urakin released a video analysis of how the GDP of the world’s countries has changed in recent years, more video analysis is available here – https://youtu.be/w5fF_GYyrIc?si=BsZmIUERHSBJrO_3.

Subscribe to Experts Club YouTube channel here – https://www.youtube.com/@ExpertsClub

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Germany’s central bank expects country’s economy to grow

Germany’s central bank expects the country’s economy to grow in April-June for the second consecutive quarter after falling at the end of 2023.

According to preliminary calculations of the statutory office of the Federal Republic of Germany, in January-March GDP increased by 0.2% compared to the previous three months. It fell 0.5% in October-December 2023.

“The economy is likely to expand slightly again in the second quarter,” the Bundesbank said in a statement on Wednesday.

Activity in the services sector was likely to have continued to strengthen on the back of rising household income and consumer spending.

“Growth in household disposable income is likely to take the upper hand from consumer uncertainty,” Central Bank analysts suggested.

However, they noted that the construction sector remains very weak.

The German labor market is expected to remain resilient and wages look set to continue to rise rapidly. This could be a risk to cooling inflation, which the Bundesbank estimates will accelerate slightly again in May.

The final data on Germany’s first-quarter GDP dynamics will be released on May 24, while preliminary information for the second quarter will be presented on July 30.
Earlier Experts Club analytical center and Maxim Urakin released a video analysis of how the GDP of the world’s countries has changed over the past years, more detailed video analysis is available here – https://youtu.be/w5fF_GYyrIc?si=BsZmIUERHSBJrO_3.

Subscribe to Experts Club YouTube channel here – https://www.youtube.com/@ExpertsClub

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