Read the Beforeitsnews.com story here. Advertise at Before It's News here.
Profile image
By John Rolls (Reporter)
Contributor profile | More stories
Story Views
Now:
Last hour:
Last 24 hours:
Total:

Russia Deploys Exotic New Weapon: A 'Budget Surplus'

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.


By John Rubino  /  Dollar Collapse

The price of oil is rising, which is obviously good news for those who sell it to the rest of us. Russia in particular seems to be enjoying the current trend, so much so that — if I’m understanding this correctly – Moscow is now receiving more in taxes than it’s spending. This is producing something called a “budget surplus,” which is a kind of currency war weapon that can be deployed to improve a country’s geopolitical position. Here’s a quick overview:

Russia To See Oil Revenues Jump Fivefold

(Oil Price) – Due to the oil price rally, Russia expects its oil and gas revenues to jump fivefold compared to the expected revenues set in its 2018 budget, according to the Finance Ministry that now expects Russia to post a budget surplus for the first time since 2011.

Oil and gas exports account for around 40 percent of Russia’s federal budget revenues.

Russia’s revenues from oil and gas sales are now expected at US$44.4 billion (2.74 trillion Russian rubles) for 2018, up from US$8.5 billion (527.6 billion rubles), according to a budget amendment by the Finance Ministry.

Due to the unexpectedly high oil prices, Russia is currently on track to book a first budget surplus since 2011, at 0.45 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), compared to previous expectations for a 1.3 percent of GDP deficit. The previous forecasts, however, were based on assumptions that the Urals crude blend would average around $40 a barrel. Between January and April, the price of Urals has averaged $66.15.

The additional oil revenues that Russia has earned above the Urals price assumption of $40 a barrel will be allocated to reserves instead of to spending, TASS news agency reports.

Analysts commented on the proposed budget amendment that Russia will have more revenues while it continues to plan for expenditures close to the original budget law.

“This will provide a very useful cushion to lean on if there are some adverse macro or geopolitical shocks,” Ivan Tchakarov, chief economist at Citi in Moscow, told Reuters.

One way that Russia is likely to use this exotic new weapon is to buy gold. The Russian central bank is already one of the biggest buyers of the metal, increasing its reserves by nearly 500 tons in less than three years – while, remember, it was running budget deficits.

Now, with a surplus to deploy, it’s reasonable to assume that the aggressive gold buying will at least continue and very possibly accelerate. The result: An increasingly gold-backed currency in a world of un-backed fiat, something that’s more of a threat to US financial hegemony than most of the hardware in the Kremlin’s military arsenal. For more on how this might play out, see Putin: Russia Needs to Get Rid of ‘Dollar Burden’ in Oil Trade. A few relevant quotes:

A few days ago, President Vladimir Putin was quoted as saying that Russia was mulling over ways to ‘get free’ of the U.S. dollar burden in oil trade as part of a plan to boost its national economic sovereignty…Oil is traded in dollars on the exchange, TASS news agency quoted Putin as saying. “Certainly, we are thinking about what we need to do in order to get free of this burden.”

https://www.dollarcollapse.com/russia-deploys-exotic-new-weapon-budget-surplus/

Read more great articles here: https://www.dollarcollapse.com

 



Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world.

Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.

"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

Please Help Support BeforeitsNews by trying our Natural Health Products below!


Order by Phone at 888-809-8385 or online at https://mitocopper.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST

Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomic.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST

Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomics.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST


Humic & Fulvic Trace Minerals Complex - Nature's most important supplement! Vivid Dreams again!

HNEX HydroNano EXtracellular Water - Improve immune system health and reduce inflammation.

Ultimate Clinical Potency Curcumin - Natural pain relief, reduce inflammation and so much more.

MitoCopper - Bioavailable Copper destroys pathogens and gives you more energy. (See Blood Video)

Oxy Powder - Natural Colon Cleanser!  Cleans out toxic buildup with oxygen!

Nascent Iodine - Promotes detoxification, mental focus and thyroid health.

Smart Meter Cover -  Reduces Smart Meter radiation by 96%! (See Video).

Report abuse

    Comments

    Your Comments
    Question   Razz  Sad   Evil  Exclaim  Smile  Redface  Biggrin  Surprised  Eek   Confused   Cool  LOL   Mad   Twisted  Rolleyes   Wink  Idea  Arrow  Neutral  Cry   Mr. Green

    Total 2 comments
    • Man

      ya know, a budget surplus can not be when you cut taxes.

      and it helps when you have governmnmet controlled assets like Gas and oil

    • Man

      you do know that without state owned oil and gas, they wouldn’t have a positive budget….

    MOST RECENT
    Load more ...

    SignUp

    Login

    Newsletter

    Email this story
    Email this story

    If you really want to ban this commenter, please write down the reason:

    If you really want to disable all recommended stories, click on OK button. After that, you will be redirect to your options page.