Blue &Yellow: Politics and Economics in Ukraine

Country asks for another IMF bailout, after screwing up the first one. There are few signs of spending coming under control. The neighbour which really holds the purse strings demands ever more privatisation. 

The economy’s still reeling from an attempted devaluation of the Belorussian rouble through the country’s various fragmented FX markets instead of in one go, leaving the country starved of foreign currency. Import prices have exploded. President Lukashenko has also exploded, generally in the direction of the Russians and his own officials, after bailout talks failed. So now it’s the IMF’s turn. 

 On top of the politics in the country Belarus now needs another bailout, according to FT Alphaville. While its southern neighbor seems to be recovering from its economic contraction, Belarus may be lurching into another one.