By KYIV. Dec 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Net sales of U.S. dollars by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) last week increased to $977.3 million from $862.5 million a week earlier; the last time the NBU sold more was in the first week of the transition to managed exchange rate flexibility in early October.
In the first half of the week, according to the central bank, foreign currency purchases by bank clients grew, reaching $475 million on Wednesday and exceeding the sales volume by $260 million.
As a result, the NBU on Wednesday weakened the hryvnia exchange rate by 0.6%, or 23 kopecks, and in total for the first three days of the week by 1.4%, or 53 kopecks.
However, on Thursday the depreciation was quite insignificant, and on Friday the National Bank even strengthened it by 4 kopecks – to UAH 37.5525/$1.
In general, since November 26, when a pronounced tendency towards weakening of the national currency began, the U.S. dollar has risen in price by 4.3%, or by UAH 1.54. At the same time, thanks to the strengthening of the hryvnia in the first period after the National Bank switched to a managed flexibility regime on October 3, the U.S. dollar’s rise in price compared to the fixed rate that had been in effect for over 14 months amounted to 2.7%, or 98 kopecks.
On the cash market on Friday, the U.S. dollar also fell slightly in price – by 11 kopecks, to approximately UAH 38.10/$1.
