Russian Ruble Surges after Softer Rate Cut

The Russian ruble surged past 82 per USD on Friday from the five-month low of 85 touched earlier in the session amid a hawkish pivot by the Bank of Russia. The central bank cut its benchmark rate by 100bps to 17%, contrasting from expectations of a 200bps cut despite the downward revision to growth forecasts by the CBR earlier this year. Monetary policymakers stressed that inflation expectations remained elevated and that labor markets remained tight, warranting caution on the cutting cycle. The ruble had been supported this year by capital controls by the Kremlin, which has companies selling 40% of export proceeds, although the Kremlin has stated that firms are selling 70% of their earnings. Still, the currency holds weaker than this year's peak of 76 on growth concerns and softer exports. Oil and fuel export revenues sank in August, according to the IEA, amid softer demand from China and headwinds from India as they face tariffs from the US.