Ruble Deficit Leads To Drop In Dollar On Russian Currency Market

A deficit in ruble assets of Russian commercial banks became more aggravated at the beginning of trading today. A banking specialist noted in an interview with RBC that one-day ruble credit rates reached more than 20 per cent for large banks at 10:30 today. He linked this ruble deficit to obligatory payments of VAT and other payments to the budget made by Russian banks at the end of the year. As a result, the dollar rate dropped in the morning today. The expert stressed that the Central Bank continues policies aimed at strengthening the national currency on the interbank market by selling dollars for 30.29 rubles. This is also influencing the dollar rate at the special trading. As a result, the dollar rate dropped 0.02 rubles to 30.26 rubles several minutes after the opening of the unified trade.