Monday, May 23, 2011

Belarus Devalues Ruble by 56%!

Belarus has just announced a 56% currency devaluation.  Just one central bank statement, and a whole country's paper wealth has been devalued by 56% instantaneously.  We wonder whether anyone in Belarus still views gold as a barbarous relic. 
Just last week, SilverDoctors presented Living Through a Currency Devaluation, which examined a first hand account of the overnight devaluation of the Mexican peso.  Those who like LoneRangerSilver had the foresight to extricate themselves from their ruble positions prior to the devaluation have just seen an enormous increase in the purchasing power of their assets. 
This is coming to the US soon folks, very soon. 
Buy gold, buy silver, and be one of the few that are already perfectly positioned PRIOR to such a horrible announcement.

The National Bank of Belarus (NBB) is sharply devaluing the official rate of Belarusian ruble. The exchange rate as of May 24 was set at 4,930 rubles per dollar. a decrease of 56% from the 23 May.

The National Bank of Belarus has officially confirmed a sharp depreciation of the currency. On its website it has published the official exchange rate of Belarusian ruble: $ 1 - Br4930 (a decrease of 56,3% to the rate on 23 May), 1 Euro - Br6914, 82 (a decrease of 53,1%), 1 Russian ruble - Br173 , 95 (a decrease of 53,9%). The official rate for May 23 was set at 3,155 rubles per dollar.

Earlier, the Belarusian authorities stated that in the near future a unification of the national currency will occur in two phases. "In the first stage decisions will be made to bring down the increased demand, and upon receipt of the loan rate will be formed on the basis of supply and demand, thus lowering the expectations today are still there," - said on May 20, Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich.

Meanwhile, representatives of Belarusian banks have criticized the mechanism of devaluation. "The problem is not in the specific value of the exchange rate and in the mechanism. The question is: under whose speculative decisions did the National Bank make this choice?" - Said the agency "Interfax-West" management representative of a bank with Russian capital. In this case, the representative of a state bank believes that "this decision should be viewed as an interim measure." According to him, "the trend is obvious: the official exchange rate will move in the direction of the OTC exchange rate, rather than vice versa."

Earlier, BNB announced the termination of containment of the Belarusian ruble to the retail market: from May 12 to lift restrictions on banks to buy and sell currencies population - 2% of the official rate.
Click here for the announcement