ArmInfo. The interbank currency market of Armenia increased its volumes two times from February 19 to February 23, compared to the previous week, after the same growth a week earlier. Moreover, during the week only on Monday the currency bank was empty, after which the deals were made daily, with maximum volume was scored on Thursday. At the same time, intra-bank foreign exchange market players showed interest in buying up the euro and the ruble, while reducing the volume of dollar transactions. Exchange market since the beginning of the year to this day continues to empty. As a result, the dram continued to strengthen appreciate to the dollar - from 481.5 to 481 AMD / $ 1, also tuned to the euro - from 604 to 592 AMD/ 1EUR and to the ruble - from 8.6 to 8.5 AMD/ RR A year earlier, on February 23, 2017, the exchange rate of the dram to the dollar was 486.3 AMD/ $ 1, to the euro - 514 AMD / 1EUR, and to the ruble - 8.4 AMD / RR, which, in comparison with the current rates, indicates the annual devaluation of the dram to euro and ruble at revaluation to the dollar.
As the press service of the Central Bank of Armenia shared with ArmInfo, on February 19 through 23 inclusive, transactions in the volume of $ 22.9 million were made at the average exchange rate of 480.46 dr / $ 1 against the foreign exchange interbank market (against 481.80 AMD / $ 1 a week earlier). Moreover, the currency interbank market was empty on Monday, but then operations were daily performed with "flashing" large on Tuesday and Thursday - $ 5.2 million and $ 13.4 million, respectively. At the same time, in the intra- bank foreign exchange market, the decline in dollar buying accelerated from 8.4% to 16.8%, while sales growth slowed from 10.7% to 3.7%, against which the dynamics of euro buying changed from 20.7% decline in the 14.3% growth with a deterioration in the trend of sales - from 5.4% growth to a 12.3% decline. Ruble- denominated transactions on the intra-bank foreign exchange market maintained a multidirectional trend: the growth of purchases slowed from 16.8% to 14.8%, while the sales decline accelerated from 1.6% to 5%. As a result, $ 80.3 million was purchased at the average rate of 480 AMD / $ 1, 8.03 million euro at the average rate of 592.55 AMD/ 1EUR, and 978.5 million rubles. At an average rate of 8.45 AMD / 1RR, and sold $ 79.5 million at an average rate of 481.26 AMD / $ 1, 17.15 million euro at an average rate of 594.85 AMD/ 1EUR, and 533.8 million rubles. at the average rate of 8.55 AMD / 1RR.
According to the source, during the previous week (from 12 to 17 February), Armenian banks issued AMD 54.5 billion drams and dollar loans for $ 35.5 million. Compared to the previous period (from February 5 to 10), the dynamics of loans issued has sharply improved: drams were deployed the vector with a 24.7% decline in the 22% growth, and the dollar - with a 66.7% decline in the 22.8% growth.
Note that for the year 2017 on the stock exchange currency platform, a total of $ 3.3 million was performed (January-March, May). The Central Bank for the whole of 2017 bought a total of $ 122.6 million (June- September, December) and sold $ 22 million (January, November). Prior to this, in 2016, the exchange currency market also showed weak signs of life - one operation in March-May. The Central Bank bought $ 152 million (April, June, August-October) for the foreign exchange market in 2016, and sold $ 122.7 million (January-February, November-December).