KIEV, Aug. 10 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has downgraded its forecast for sunflower oil production in Ukraine in the new marketing year (MY, September 2012-August 2013) by 0.6%, or by 23,000 tons, compared to the July estimates, to 3.882 million tons.

KIEV, Aug. 10 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has improved its forecast for the wheat harvest in Ukraine in 2012 by 15.4%, or 2 million tons, compared to the July forecast, to 15 million tons.

KIEV, Aug. 10 – The Ukrainian Credit-Banking Union has warned that there is a risk of the national currency exchange rate collapsing if a 3% fee to the Pension Fund on the purchase foreign currency proposed by the State Tax Service is set.

KIEV, Aug. 13 – The introduction by the National Bank of Ukraine of a 2% margin between the purchase and sale prices of foreign currency on the cash market could lead to a sharp fall in the value of the hryvnia against foreign currency, according to Oleksandr Okhrymenko, an advisor to the chairman of Ukrgasbank.

KIEV, Aug. 13 - The United States Department of Agriculture forecasts the export of Ukrainian grain at 17.02 million tons in the 2009/2010 marketing year, which is 3 million tons up on the forecast it made a month ago.

KIEV, Aug. 12 – Ukraine's state debt in 2009 will grow from 13.8% of GDP to 18.9% of GDP, according to a forecast made by Ukraine's Finance Ministry.

DNIPROPETROVSK, Aug. 13 – Daily metal production at Ukrainian steel mills grew in June and July, and in August the upward trend has continued, the director general of the Dnipropetrovsk-based Metalurgprom industrial association, Vasyl Kharakhulakh, said at a meeting of representatives of metal and mining companies in Dnipropetrovsk on Wednesday.

KIEV, Aug. 12 – The National Bank of Ukraine is to introduce a more sophisticated transaction confirmation system (TCS) at the interbank currency market, according to an NBU resolution.

MOSCOW, Aug. 12 - Moody's Investors Service has confirmed, with a positive outlook, the B2 long-term foreign-currency deposit ratings of 22 Ukrainian banks.

The ratings of foreign currency debt instruments issued by five Ukrainian banks have also been confirmed, with a positive outlook.

KIEV, Aug. 13 – Kiev-based Magistr asset management company has said the forecasted 1.3% deflation in Ukraine in August will nudge the stock market to growth within three or four trading days of the day the State Statistics Committee publishes its deflation report.