You're reading: Ukrainian businesses improve inflation forecasts

Ukrainian businesses continue improving their inflation forecasts and expectations related to the companies' financial and economic situation, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) said in a posting on its official Web site, with reference to its regular poll of top managers.

"Inflationary expectations have been decreasing for a third quarter in a row, and were 11.8% for the next 12 months against 14.6% forecasted in the previous quarter," reads the posting. "Those polled listed an increase in production costs, the level of households’ incomes and budget outlays among the key factors of influence on consumer prices."

According to the NBU, 1,242 companies in all Ukrainian regions with key industries participated in the poll, which was conducted in May 2010.

The NBU also said that the number of participants in the poll who do not expect a change in the forex rate of the hryvnia against the U.S. dollar had increased.

Moreover, according to the poll, companies’ borrowing requirements will slightly fall in the next three months.

"The number of those polled who plan to borrow funds from banks has slightly declined – by 1.2 interest notches to 44.4%," reads the posting.

"The use of loan funds by businesses is limited by high interest rates on loans, excessive requirements to the value of a loan deposit and a complicated loan formalization procedure."