TABLE-Key facts on Ukraine's currency and finances

Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:46am EDT
 
[-] Text [+]
 Oct 20 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko
expressed confidence on Monday that talks with the International
Monetary Fund would prove successful. Officials have suggested
the IMF could lend a sum ranging from $10-14 billion.
 For an overview of key political and economic facts about
Ukraine, click on [ID:nLK279955]. Following are more details.
 
 FOREIGN DEBT
 (In $ billion)
             July 1, 2008   April 1, 2008    July 1, 2007
 FOREIGN DEBT       100.062         92.533         65.285     
 government debt     14.873         15.135         12.745     
 central bank debt    0.290          0.329          0.665     
 commercial banks    38.453         33.900         21.205     
* short-term      12.814         12.080          8.232     
 other sectors       42.719         39.830         28.572     
* short term      15.396         14.003          9.932     
 direct investments   3.727          3.339          2.098     
 
 * The central bank has said it expects banking sector debt
worth $1-1.2 billion maturing in the final quarter of this year.
 * Citi analysts estimate the 2009 external financing
requirement to be $55-66 billion, of which $32-40 billion is in
the private sector. Foreign banks own 40-42 percent of total
banking assets and 25 percent of short-term banking debt is owed
to parent banks.
 CENTRAL BANK RESERVES       
 Sept 30 '08  $37.5 billion   
 Aug 31  '08  $38 billion     
 Dec 31  '07  $32.5 billion   
 * Central bank has said end-Sept foreign exchange reserves
covered 3.7 months of imports.
 CURRENT ACCOUNT DEFICIT
                        C/A                Trade gap 
                       deficit             for goods 
                                               
 H1 '08 (07) $bln    6.8 (1.7)  7.9pct/GDP  9.8 (4.2) 
 Q1 '08 (07) $bln    3.6 (1.2)              4.6 (1.7) 
 2007   (06) $bln    5.9 (1.6)  4.2pct/GDP 11.4 (6.7) 
 9mo 07 (06) $bln    2.2 (0.3)              6.7 (4.3) 
 
 * Analysts based outside Ukraine forecast its current
account deficit at $21-25 billion, or 10-12 percent of gross
domestic product, by year-end; Ukraine-based analysts give lower
forecasts of about 6 percent of GDP.
 HRYVNIA UAH= CHRONOLOGY
           interbank  council's                      
          rate/$   corridor/$       what happened?          
          -----------------------------------------     
 Oct 8  '08   5.9     4.554-5.346  hryvnia hits all time low
 Oct 7  '08   5.55    4.554-5.346  council sets new band    
 Jul 4  '08   4.56    4.656-5.044  council sets new band    
 May 22 '08   4.485   4.95-5.25    official rate changed    
 Feb 4  '08   5.048   4.95-5.25    typical rate since May '05
 Dec   2004   5.3                  presidential poll after  
                                   "Orange" revolution      
 May   2003   5.6                  previous record low      
 Sep   1998   4.0                  currency crisis,         
                                   hryvnia weakens above 4/$
 Sep   1996   1.76                 birth of the hryvnia     
 * The hryvnia currency hit an all-time low of 5.9/$ on Oct.
8, weakened by growing global risk aversion and regional
tensions after Russia's conflict with Georgia.
 * In mid-2008 the hryvnia had strengthened as far 4.5/$,
after the central bank abandoned a policy of keeping it in a
corridor of 5.00-5.06 per dollar within a 4.95-5.25 band.
 * The central bank's council and executive board have sent
mixed messages about future actions and clashed in May over
revaluing the hryvnia's official rate. The board appears to take
less notice of the currency band, set by the council.
 (Compiled by Sabina Zawadzki; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)

 
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