31/5/15: Remittances from Russia Sharply Down in 1Q 2015

Latest Central Bank of Russia data shown decline in private forex outflows in 1Q 2015 as migrants and Russian citizens cut back on transfers abroad. In 1Q 2015, based on CBR data, private money transfers from Russia were down to USD2.1 billion - the lowest level of transfers since 1Q 2010 and down on USD3.9 billion in 1Q 2014 and USD4.3 billion in 4Q 2014. The data covers only cash transfer (wire transfers) and does not include bank transfers. Still, the number is significant for two reasons:

1. In 2014, cash wire transfers amounted to USD21 billion - or nearly 1/3 of total private residents transfers (USD69 billion).
2. Transfers decline signals slowdown in remissions from migrant workers - a major problem for a number of countries net senders of migrants into Russia (see an earlier note on this here: http://trueeconomics.blogspot.ie/2015/01/1312015-remittances-from-russia-big.html).

Transfers outside the CIS zone amounted to USD348 million (down 39% y/y and down 45% q/q), transfers to CIS zone states fell 47% y/y and 51% q/q to USD1.8 billion.

Net transfers deficit was USD1.1 billion in 1Q 2015, down from USD3 billion in 1Q 2014 and 4Q 2014. Reminder: net outflow of capital (corporate and households, plus banks) fell 31% y/y in 1Q 2015 to USD32.6 billion (see earlier notes on this here http://trueeconomics.blogspot.ie/2015/04/18415-fitch-postpones-russian-ratings.html and here: http://trueeconomics.blogspot.ie/2015/04/14415-russian-external-debt-redemptions.html)

Key drivers for slower rate of capital and forex outflows are:

• Ruble devaluation impacting earnings of migrant workers, while Ruble strengthening in 2015 so far reducing demand for forex accounts amongst Russian depositors and improved confidence in Russian banking sector (in part due to doubling of deposits protection levels to RUB1.4 million). Higher deposit rates offered by the Russian banks also helped.
• Decline in real earnings (http://trueeconomics.blogspot.ie/2015/05/30515-russian-demand-down-sharply-in.html)
• External debt redemptions (see earlier links)
• Exporters reducing overall demand for forex deposits

A side note: in 1Q 2015 household deposits in Russina banks rose RUB537 billion (+2.9% y/y to RUB19.6 trillion) in contrast to 1Q 2014 when deposits fell 2.3% (to RUB16.6 trillion). CBR projects deposits rising 8% over 2015 y/y.

Another factor responsible for improved outflows is change in the migration laws. Prior to January 1, 2015, citizens from countries with visa-free entry to Russia were allowed to remain in Russia for 90 days and could re-enter any time after exiting the country. From January 1, the new rules require them to stay maximum 90 days and after exiting the country, remain outside Russia for 90 days before re-entering. It is worth noting that this is identical to similar rules applying to visa holders in many Western countries. As the result, based on Federal Migration Service data, inflow of migrants into Russia fell 70%. One outcome of this is that unemployment levels in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - three key net senders of migrants to Russia - jumped, while remittances from Russia to Uzbekistan fell 16% in 2014, and to Tajikistan  by 8%. Third largest net sender of migrants to Russia was Ukraine, with remittance to Ukraine down 27% y/y in 2014.

23/11/2014: Russian economy: Capital Outflows Trends

Russian Capital Outflows have been pretty extreme so far in 2014 - totalling USD85.3 billion in the first nine months of 2014, up on 44.1 billion net outflows in the same period of 2013, USD45.8 billion in 2012 and USD46.9 billion in the same period 2011. At annualised rate, current outflows are running at around USD114 billion, which is the worst year after 2008 outflows of USD133.6 billion.

More than half of these outflows fell on Q1 2014 (USD48.6 billion) with *only* USD36.7 billion in Q2 and Q3. In fact the rate of outflows in Q3 was below the average for 2008-present period (USD18.7 billion per quarter) and over Q2 and Q3 average rate of outflow was below average as well. 

Overall, Net Capital Outflows for Q1-Q3 2014 exceeded average rate of outflows by USD29.3 billion. 

Looking at the composition of outflows, USD16.1 billion of net outflows over the first nine months of 2014 came from the Banking sector - which is worse than the same period 2013 (USD10.9 billion) and 2012 (inflows of USD9.6 billion), but better than the same period of 2011 (outflows of USD17.3 billion). 2008-present quarterly average Banking sector net outflows stand at USD3.72 billion, which suggests that current nine months cumulative outflows exceed average by about USD4.9 billion.

Non-financial sector net outflows for 9 months through September 2014 stood at a massive USD69.2 billion, which is well ahead of same period outflows in 2013 (USD33.3 billion), 2012 (USD55.4 billion) and 2011 (USD29.8 billion). On average, since 2008, net non-financial sector capital outflows are running at USD14.93 billion per quarter. This implies that current running rate of outflows from the non-financial sectors (for Q1-Q3 2014) is some USD24.4 billion ahead of average.

Chart above clearly shows that Q3 2014 non-financial sector outflows have been the worst since Q4 2008, while Q1 2014 outflows in the sector were the 5th worst since the start of 2005.

Overall, the above shows that while some of the media claims may be overstating the extent of the capital outflows deviation from their historical (pre-Ukraine crisis) trends, at the same time, current rates of outflows are of significant concern and cannot be sustained for much longer. The core issue is that non-financial sector outflows can only be stopped or significantly reduced by imposing some sort of capital controls - either in their direct form or via de-offshorization of the domestic investment.

The former will be a very tough pill to swallow for all sectors of the economy and will damage significantly the ruble. The latter is a political sensitive issues as it would involve change in the status quo practices whereby medium-sized and larger enterprises offshore aggressively investment funds to remove these out of the reach of domestic authorities.

Interestingly, if President Putin does follow through on the promise of substantial reforms aimed at reducing state interference in the economy and alleviating pressures arising from corrupt state officials practices, the de-offshorization of the private sector investment can be put in place much less painfully and much more efficiently. See more on this here: http://trueeconomics.blogspot.ru/2014/11/19112014-two-articles-on-russian.html