Data
Ukraine's international reserves down 1% to $28.5bn in February
Ukraine’s gross international reserves (GIR) fell by 1% to $28.5bn due to redemption of debt obligations, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) reported on March 5 as cited by Unian.
Bulgaria has EU's poorest regions
GDP per capita in the North-West region of Bulgaria is just 32% of the EU average.
Romania’s January retail sales point to more cautious household sentiment
Romania's retail sales volume index increased by 1.6% y/y in January amid expectations of an austerity budget for 2021.
NBU raises key policy rate 50bp to 6.5%
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) reversed its easing policy and hiked rates for the first time since June 2020 by 50bp to 6.5% at its monetary policy meeting on March 4.
Russia’s services PMI positive at 52.2, but down slightly from January
The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit Russia Services Business Activity Index registered 52.2 in February, down slightly from 52.7 in January. The latest reading signalled a modest rate of expansion that was slower than the long-run series average.
North Macedonia’s GDP posts slim contraction of 0.7% y/y in 4Q20
Better performance in Q4 left North Macedonia with a 4.5% GDP contraction for 2020.
Hungarian Q4 growth in GDP revised up to 1.4%
Services dragged the economy down, contributing a 3.2pp decline in Q4.
Kazakh manufacturing PMI shows continued deterioration in operating conditions in February
Kazakhstan manufacturing PMI posted 48.5 in February, as the rate of decline eased thanks to an increase in new orders.
Polish PMI rises to the highest point in nearly three years in February
The index’s expansion strengthens the outlook for recovery in Poland’s manufacturing sector in 2021.
Serbia's economy contracted by 1.1% y/y in 4Q20
Serbia had one of the smallest GDP contractions across the emerging Europe region in 2020.
Slovenia reports smaller GDP decline during second wave of pandemic
Fourth quarter slowdown was significantly lower than during the first wave of the pandemic, despite worse epidemiological data.
Russia’s manufacturing PMI shows the strongest improvement in operating conditions since April 2019
The headline seasonally adjusted IHS Markit Russia Manufacturing PMI put in its strongest growth since April 2019 after registering 51.5 in February, up from 50.9 in January, signalling a marginal improvement in the health of Russian manufacturing.
Poland’s GDP contraction adjusted upwards to -2.7% y/y in Q4
Analysts diverge on strength of economic recovery expected from Q2 onwards.
_6_48_1614506465.png)
Russian President Vladimir Putin's popularity ticked up 1pp in February to 65%
Russian President Vladimir Putin's popularity ticked up 1pp from 64% in January to 65% in February according to the latest poll from independent pollster the Levada Center, regaining the levels prior to Navalny's demonstrations.
Russian business confidence bounces back strongly in January
There was a remarkable upswing in business confidence in January, according to Rosstat’s monthly survey. The confidence level rose to -1, its highest level since May 2019, marking a return to pre-coronacrisis levels.
Putin’s trust rating improves 3pp to 32%, Navalny falls 1pp to 4% despite protests
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s trust rating improved by 3 percentage points to 32%, while that of jailed anti-corruption activist and opposition politician Alexei Navalny fell by one point to 4% in between December 2020 and February 2021.
Romania’s public debt-to-GDP ratio up 12.4pp y/y to 47.7% at end-2020
Public indebtedness increased amid the government's efforts to support the private sector and address the health crisis.
Grey economy almost a third of GDP in Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia
Research by Sarajevo-based Center for Policy and Governance shows high levels of undeclared and partially work in Western Balkans and Croatia.
Belarus retail sales down by 0.9% in January
In January 2021 retailers reported sales of BNY4.2bn ($1.7bn), which accounted for 99.1% of retail sales in January 2020 in comparable prices, according to National Statistics Committee, as cited by the state-owned BelTA.
Consumer prices increased by 1.1% in Serbia in January
The central bank expects inflation to remain low and stable — as it has been for the last eight years — as the country recovers from the coronacrisis.