Yesterday's meeting at the National Bank, where financial companies were asked to limit their appetites and lower the dollar selling rate, had an unexpected result: the selling prices of cash "American" in wholesale exchange offices began to decline. Slowly at first, then faster, and by the end of the day they simply began to plummet before our eyes.
In Kyiv by Tuesday evening, it was possible to purchase large batches of "white" dollars (i.e., old-style dollars) at 46.25 UAH. Compared to yesterday evening, the selling price dropped by 60 kopecks.
In regional centers, the price of cash dollars started from 46.27 UAH in Lviv to 47.50 UAH in Kharkiv, Dnipro and Odesa. It is very indicative how much the selling price decreased in these cities in just one day: in Dnipro - by 45 kopecks, in Lviv - by 53 kopecks, in Odesa - by 60 kopecks, and in Kharkiv the dollar fell immediately by 80 kopecks. And these are not "empty" numbers on bank boards: at the announced prices by Tuesday evening in these cities one could actually buy from 20-30 thousand dollars.
The Ukrainian banks quickly understood what was happening and also began to lower their prices. By Tuesday evening, the cheapest dollar was sold in OTP Bank at 45.95 UAH, and the most expensive - at 46.60 UAH in Commercial Industrial Bank. The maximum selling rate became cheaper by 40 kopecks.
Unlike the dollar, the euro was clearly in no hurry to get cheaper today. By the evening of today, the minimum selling price for the euro started from 51.40 UAH in the Kyiv branch of Sky Bank, and the most expensive euro - at 52.25 UAH - was also sold at BTA Bank. As we can see, the minimum for the euro rose, and the maximum decreased. The fact that the National Bank did not voice requirements for the euro exchange rate also had an effect.
The gap between the non-cash and cash dollar rates began to decline. By Monday evening, it decreased by 42 kopecks, to 73 kopecks. This is a sign that the rush in the cash currency market is finally beginning to subside.
Whether the National Bank will be able to finally normalize the situation in the cash currency market, as it is trying to do on the interbank market, will be shown in the coming days. But according to analysts of the "Course of Ukraine" portal, there is no point in waiting for the dollar to return to the old prices. The main thing is that the rate can stabilize at a new level.
