“Panicking” Ukrainians Face Soaring Prices, Warn “Inflation Is War”
by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
11/27/2014
With Ukraine, according to President Poroshenko, on the verge of World War III, it appears the people of the divided nation face another all too familiar war… on their living standards. As Hyrvnia continues to collapse to record-er lows, Ukraine’s Central Bank warns of further stress and FX (think USDollar or EUR) demand because the “population is in panic.” With a 19.8% inflation rate last month and a 48% devaluation in the currency this year, Bloomberg reports the costs of imported goods from gasoline to fruit and from medicine to meat is soaring. One store-owner reflected that she “feels the hryvnia devaluation everywhere,” and another noted “I can’t imagine how people survive on a single pension. We can’t even go to the drug store. We try to use herbs instead.” The Central bank expects inflation to keep rising (having previously peaked at 10,256% in 1993 as the Soviet economy was dismantled). “Inflation is the same as the war,” warns one analyst, “it may lead to protests if people blame the authorities for failing to conduct proper policies.”
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