Real, post-inflation retail sales increased by 6.2% during the first half of this year

Real, post-inflation retail sales increased by 6.2% during the first half of this year, compared to the same period last year, the State Statistics Service reports. The biggest jumps were in the Ukraine-controlled portions of Luhansk – 24% — and Donetsk — 10.3%. Dragon Capital writes: Dragon view: “The Consumer Confidence Index rose to 66 points last month, the highest reading in four years, i.e. since before the first serious military escalation in eastern Ukraine. The recovery has been driven by a much better assessment of current financial conditions by consumers…It reflects a combination of continued nominal salary growth and increasing inflows of remittances from labor migrants on the back of moderating inflation.”