UB extends restriction for local migration ban www.news.mn

Ulaanbaatar is one of the top-ten most polluted cities in the world. The scale of the migration is astounding. In the last decade, around 20% of the country’s population of three million has moved to Ulaanbaatar over the last decade, which has doubled the city’s population and further increased pollution. The influx has also brought other problems. There has been an increase in crime, severe gridlock, problems with urban planning, and pressure on the housing, health and social care systems.

Putin says Russia should ditch petrol in favor of natural gas fuel www.rt.com

Russia should follow the lead of Gazprom and have more cars running on natural gas instead of traditional gasoline, according to President Vladimir Putin. It is cheaper and more eco-friendly, he said.

“Gas fuel is, of course, more environmentally friendly. And we have great competitive advantages in this because we have enough of this fuel. More oil and petroleum products can be sold on the foreign market, as it is more profitable than gas sales,” Putin said on Thursday, speaking at a meeting dedicated to the development of Russia's regions.

Noble Group raises stake in Mongolian railways firm in exchange for debt repayment www.businesstimes.com.sg

NOBLE Group has bought an additional 10 per cent stake in Northern Mongolian Railways Limited (NMRL), a subsidiary of Australia-listed Aspire Mining Limited for US$1.4 million.

Foreign exchange reserves reach USD 2.9 billion www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ This year, the Central Bank’s foreign exchange reserves have surged to USD 2.9 billion. The reserves are crucial factor to sustain value of domestic currency and stability of financial and macro economic sector.

December 28, 2017 trading report www.mse.mn

On December 28, 2017, 732,831 shares of 34 firms listed as Tier I, II, and III were traded. 20 companies’ shares increased in price while those of 11 companies decreased and 3 companies unchanged. Mik Holding /MIK +14.96%/ and Khunnu Management /HBZ +14.96%/ were the top performers whereas Juulchin Gobi JSC /JGV/ was the worst performer, decreasing 15.00 percent.

Renewables generated triple the power of coal in 2017, UK figures show www.theguardian.com

British wind farms generated more electricity than coal plants on more than 75% of days this year, an analysis of energy figures has shown.

Mongolian livestock count reaches 66.2 million www.news.mn

The results of the livestock census that was carried out between from December 7th to 17th have been published. According to the results, the total number of livestock reached 66.2 million heads of livestock at the end of 2017, which is an increase of approximately 7.8% from 2016.

Mongolia debt dive caps Central Asia comeback www.atimes.com

Mongolia was lauded this month for more “durable than anticipated” 3% GDP growth in 2017 in the International Monetary Fund’s first review of its US$400 million rescue program, following an $800 million five-year external bond return in October, where the 5.5% yield was half the previous peak.

Since the May rescue by the IMF, commodity exports have picked up, particularly to China, with mine closures in that country and its ban on imports of North Korean coal, and boosted budget revenue in local-currency terms with the weaker exchange rate against the US dollar. “Investor confidence recovery” with the successful international issuance will boost the balance of payments and reserves, and fully cover 2018 maturities and refinance more expensive domestic debt, according to the evaluation.

However, both the IMF and frontier-market fund managers continue to be wary as political and banking-sector complications in Mongolia dilute the upbeat narrative. The new government elected in July lost a confidence vote, ousting the prime minister, who was then replaced by his deputy, while the IMF’s health check was delayed.

Bank credit growth is still at a runaway 20% annual pace, with large foreign-exchange exposure and a 7.5% bad-loan rate pending the results of an overall asset quality audit by the central bank. Despite headline economic strides, on structural reform the IMF report assigned a “mixed” score, as regional peers Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan not under the lender’s thumb likewise have rebounded from crisis but remain ambivalent near-term bond bets.

The jumps in prices for Mongolia’s coal, copper and gold from Chinese demand stoked 5% first-half growth in gross domestic product, but construction has been negative for four years, with excess real-estate inventory. The windfall produced a budget surplus through September, but scheduled social and civil-servant handouts will result in a deficit, as the 2018 blueprint adopted by parliament could send the overall gap close to 10% of GDP, according to President Khaltmaa Battulga, who vetoed it as against the IMF arrangement.

Growth is slated at 4.2% amid introduction of a progressive income tax, but the president lambasted “inefficient investment projects” pushed by the ruling Mongolian People’s Party, which holds 65 of the 75 seats. Battulga belongs to the opposition Democratic Party.

A fiscal-stability law envisages end-decade balance, but the IMF warns that the government wage bill compromises the target and threatens medium-term sustainability, with public debt already at 85% of output.

Inflation was over 8% in October, and monetary policy has reversed course toward easing with a 100-basis-point drop in the benchmark interest rate to 11%. The IMF urged the central bank to go slowly on cuts as the recent reserve buildup to $2.5 billion on a stable tugrik may not last. The Bank of Mongolia has regularly dipped into the stash for intervention, even though its currency powers are murky and shared with the Finance Ministry.

An updated organic law is to clarify the central bank’s independence and regulatory authority more broadly, but in the meantime its hands are full with the asset-quality exercise conducted with accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. It will screen bank business plans and apply stress tests, with capital holes to be remedied by the end of next year when deposit insurance is due to start.

Among outstanding challenges, the financial sector agenda is “most important” and funding decisions should not tilt to favored shareholders or jeopardize the public-sector balance sheet, the IMF evaluation concluded.

Azerbaijan came in for separate caution under a December Article IV survey by the IMF, with stagflation ending as the hydrocarbon and service industries revive, but with banking-sector restructuring “still incomplete.”

Inflation will be near 15% in 2017 after exchange-rate depreciation, and increased fiscal spending should be reined in by clear rules before 2019, it recommended.

Privatization has drawn foreign-investor interest in real estate, and external debt remains minimal at under 20% of GDP.

Fitch Ratings expects positive growth in 2018 muddied by “continued bank asset quality pressure” despite the bad-loan cleanup at the International Bank of Azerbaijan. The rater was also skeptical about the Halyk-Kazkommertsbank consolidation as the biggest government-owned lender in Kazakhstan following the initial stage of operations merger in December.

Foreign-exchange positions may deteriorate as local-depositor tenge sentiment continues to swing as measured by dollarization levels, and international bonds were shaken by a New York court ruling freezing central-bank reserves in an investor dispute while the overall system is in knots.

Five Oil Signals to Watch in 2018 www.bloomberg.com

OPEC and its allies are heading into the second year of supply cuts to wipe out the global oil glut, while rising U.S. output is threatening those efforts. Geopolitical tensions also add a wild card to the market mix.

As oil watchers seek to plot a course through the year ahead, they’ll be paying close attention to signals ranging from timespreads to options contracts. Here are five key barometers to watch as 2018 unfolds:

1. The Shale Signal

WTI’s discount to Brent closed at its widest level in more than two years on Tuesday as an explosion at an oil pipeline in Libya boosted the global benchmark. That came after Hurricane Harvey kept supplies locked in the U.S. earlier in the year, providing the first trigger for a wider spread and bumper U.S. exports. With shale growth driving forecasts of record U.S. supply in 2018, that could lead to a further expansion in the spread. “If we get more shale and Canadian crude in the first half, and OPEC cuts hold, then it should widen,” said Richard Fullarton, founder of London-based commodity hedge fund Matilda Capital Management Ltd.

2. OPEC’s Bellwether

Brent crude surged into a bullish, backwardated structure this year as OPEC-led output cuts tightened global supplies. December 2018 futures climbed to their highest premium ever versus the same month for 2019 this week, and the spread may expand further as OPEC’s cuts drive the oil market toward balance next year, according to Abhishek Deshpande, head of oil research at JPMorgan Chase & Co. “We are more comfortable with a balanced market to take a view of going long that spread,” said Deshpande.

3. Lottery Tickets

With geopolitical risks flaring in a host of major oil producers, funds have been busy snapping up bullish oil options contracts that would profit from a sharp spike in crude prices. The December 2018 $100 call remains the most-held Brent options contract, while $80 calls equating to more than 30 million barrels for the latter part of next year traded in recent weeks. Venezuela, Iran and Saudi Arabia top the list of countries that could see oil-related disruptions in 2018, RBC Capital Markets LLC analysts including Helima Croft wrote earlier this month.

4. Volatility Vacuum

Despite those risks, volatility has plunged to the lowest in more than three years in recent weeks as a steady grind higher in prices took some of the fizz out of the oil market. With the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries clearly signposting its plans for 2018, banks including Societe Generale SA expect to see a continued slide in volatility next year. “OPEC’s decision to proactively manage the market is going to keep volatility flat as a pancake,” Amrita Sen, chief oil market analyst at Energy Aspects Ltd., wrote earlier this month.

5. How Long?

The market is heading into 2018 near a record number of bullish bets in Brent and WTI combined, exchange data show. Those contracts, which now outstrip bearish ones by seven to one, have led to concerns that crude may soon see a speculator-driven slump. That bullish positioning has been “the largest bearish cross in my scorecards for the last several weeks,” said Torbjorn Kjus, chief oil analyst at DNB Bank ASA. What’s difficult is that “we don’t know the type of players. If they want to have a larger part of their assets in commodities for the next couple of years, then they’re not going to sell those positions.”

Revenue of MIAT increases by 22% www.news.mn

In 2017, MIAT – Mongolia’s National Airline – has flown 16,200 hours of air travel, carrying 592,000 passengers on 2,003 flights on one local and nine international routes. Compared to the 2016 figures, the number of passengers carried has gone up by 20% and operating income has seen an increase of 22%.