Moldova
wiiw slashes Emerging Europe growth forecasts for 2022 and 2023
Turkish growth is expected to slow to 3.5% this year, from a forecast 9.5% in 2021, while for Russia, GDP growth is forecast to slow to 2% from 4.5%.
Moldovan banks close to pre-crisis profitability
The aggregate profit of the Moldovan banks increased by 54% y/y to €115mn in 2021.
Gazprom threatens to cut off gas supplies to Moldova on January 21
With one day left to pay $63mn gas bill, Moldovan Deputy PM Spinu claims 'change of attitude' by Russian gas giant since pro-EU government came to power in Chisinau.
Moldova seeks last-minute solutions to avoid new gas crisis
Repeat of November gas crisis looms as Moldovan gas importer Moldovagaz lacks the €25mn needed to pay the January bill to its parent company Gazprom.
Headline inflation hits 13.9% y/y and is still far from peak in Moldova
Anticipated hikes in electricity prices are set to drive inflation up further.
OUTLOOK: 2022 Moldova
Moldova's economy is back to growth, with strong support from its western partners.
New COVID-19 wave looms in under-vaccinated Southeast Europe
Soon after Southeast Europe emerged from the autumn wave of the pandemic, cases are already rising again as the Omicron variant spreads in the region.
Moldova's current account gap doubles y/y to 12% of GDP at end-September
Strong increase in current account gap even compared to pre-pandemic period.
DEATH OF THE SOVIET UNION: BOOK REVIEW – Reassessing the causes of the Soviet demise
Vladislav Zubok’s book Collapse: the fall of the Soviet Union examines the causes of the breakup of the Soviet Union and challenges the view that the collapse was inevitable.
CEE banking: As good as it gets in (post-) crisis times and the challenging geopolitical environment
Western European banks have made double-digit increases in the growth of their credit exposures to the CE/SEE region in the past 12-18 months.
DEATH OF THE SOVIET UNION: The borders drawn in the 1920s are serving Russia well in the 2020s
Frozen conflicts along contested borders in the former Soviet space have created levers for Russian influence.
Moldova’s foreign trade gap widens by 26% in 12 months to October
Compared to two years ago, before the pandemic, exports were down 0.4% and imports up 9.9%.
Moldova’s GDP up 8.3% y/y in Q3
Economic growth in Q3 was mainly influenced by the strong performance of the agriculture sector.
DEATH OF THE USSR: Remembering Moldova's children of the Gulag
An exhibition at the National Museum of History of Moldova tells the story of the tens of thousands of children deported from the Moldovan SSR.
Gas price hike sends Moldova’s inflation up to 12.4% in November
Moldova's central bank has raised the refinancing rate four times this year in an attempt to hold back soaring inflation.
DEATH OF THE SOVIET UNION: Widespread nostalgia but no going back
Many older citizens across the former Soviet Union look back nostalgically to the ‘golden age’ before the transition but few genuinely want a return to socialism.
BALKAN BLOG: Suspended Balti mayor race highlights Chisinau’s autocratic approach to reform
Frontrunner Marina Tauber accused the ruling PAS and President Sandu of being behind the decision to invalidate her candidacy.
LONG READ: East Europe fares better than West in gas crisis thanks to pricing terms
Europe has made a concerted push to end long-term contracts and switch to shorter-term gas hub prices. Countries in northern Europe that made that change have been burnt by the current gas price spike but those in the south that didn't fared better.
Real average wage in Moldova up 8.3% y/y in Q3
Annual advance slowed from the double-digit growth recorded in the previous three quarters but remains robust.
Moldova disburses €70mn from state budget to pay gas bill to Gazprom
Russian gas major had threatened to switch off gas supplies to Moldova over unpaid gas bill.
