Investments in 1Q show further declines

Макроэкономика 29.05.2015 Fixed investments in 1Q15 dropped 14.8% YoY, excluding Crimea and the occupied enclaves of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Of the 25 regional units of the country, which consists of 24 oblasts and the city of Kyiv, five posted an increase in investments. The city of Kyiv, which accounts for the largest share of investments in Ukraine (in 1Q15, its share was 42.6% of total investments at current prices of UAH44.7bn, or slightly more than US$2bn), saw a 31.7% increase in investments. Kyiv's share most likely reflects a phenomena of reporting entities, when an entity files statistical forms by its legal address while its physical economic activity occurs in another region. Other oblasts that reported YoY increases in investments in real terms were Volyn (bordering Poland, up 66.6% YoY), Symu (bordering Russia to the north, up 9.8%), and Khmelnytsk and Cherkasy (central oblasts, up 12.1% and 4.7%, respectively). The most depressing regions in 1Q were Donetsk and Luhansk (infiltrated by Russian army militants), where investments dropped 70.9% and 94.1%, respectively. Other oblasts close to the war zone inclused Poltava (down 45.6%), Zaporizhya (down 30.7%), Odessa (down 32.9%), and Kherson (down 53.1% ). Agriculture, telecommunications, education, and leisure/hospitality saw investments increase. Industrial and construction declined 37.4% and 21%, respectively.