(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Sanctions are once again catching up on the rouble.
While still the best performer in the world this year, no emerging-market currency has fallen more in the past month as the effect of rebounding oil prices faded. Approaching foreign debt payments and a shrinking economy probably mean it has a further 10% to drop this quarter, according to BNP Paribas's Piotr Chwiejczak, the most accurate rouble forecaster in the four quarters through June 30.
After a year of sanctions over Ukraine, Russian Corps remain shut out of foreign capital markets, meaning someone needs to sell roubles every time an international debt is paid. As well as a corporate bill this quarter that's more than half as big again as the previous three months, the rouble is also under pressure as the Bank of Russia continues to buy foreign exchange, fuelling speculation the government is demanding a weaker currency.
"Rolling over debt has become a problem for companies under sanctions," Chwiejczak said. "Russia has serious long-term structural issues."
The rouble has slumped about 11% since the Bank of Russia's purchases, designed to help rebuild its reserves to $500bn from $362bn, began on May 13. Companies need to pay back or refinance $33.4bn of foreign debt through September, with almost half of the total coming due that month, central bank data show. On top of that, Brent crude has fallen about 7% since mid-May.
The range of factors buffeting the Russian currency make its strength or weakness in three months' time hard to predict, according to Chwiejczak, who says the rouble will end the period at 62. It dropped 0.4% to 55.776 versus the greenback in Moscow on Friday.
In April, Chwiejczak lowered his exchange-rate forecast for the end of the second quarter to 58.94, while the currency finished the period almost 7% stronger.
Regardless of the discrepancy, Chwiejczak sees risks for a "gradual weakening" through September. "Major drivers for the rouble will be sanctions, economy, Ukraine, external debt payments and oil," he said.
The European Union last month extended its penalties over Russia's role
in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Dmitry Polevoy, the chief economist at ING Groep in Moscow, was more bullish on the rouble's prospects, saying it will weaken only slightly to 56.1 in the period. The fifth most accurate forecaster expects oil will be supportive as it recovers to average $70 per barrel. That's more than 12% above where Brent was trading on Thursday.
Options data compiled by Bloomberg show a 57% probability that Russia's currency will reach the level Polevoy envisages by September 30, compared with a 21% chance for the drop forecast by BNP Paribas.
Higher oil prices "will neutralise the negative effect from rising foreign-debt payments and concerns regarding a possible September rate hike in the US," Polevoy said by e-mail.
Still, with 50% of Russian budget revenue generated from oil and natural gas industries, Chwiejczak at BNP said it's in the government's interests to keep the rouble lower. It slid 5.4% against the dollar in June, the most since January.
Having a weaker currency boosts budget revenue from exports priced in dollars and euros. It's also a "much more potent" tool than government spending to counter the economic slump, because it makes local producers more competitive, President Vladimir Putin said last month at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
The economy will contract 3.5% this year, the first recession since 2009, and the budget deficit will be the widest since 2010 at 3% of gross domestic product, economist forecasts compiled by Bloomberg show.
"Russia will need to keep the rouble weaker to fill the budget," Chwiejczak said.
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