OREANDA-NEWS  Oleg Syrovatkin, a leading analyst at the global research department of Otkritie Investments, predicted the strengthening of the ruble exchange rate after the January holidays. He said this in an interview with the agency "Prime".

According to the expert, the dollar, euro and yuan ended the year with a significant strengthening against the Russian currency, and this circumstance "creates prerequisites for the strengthening of the ruble in the coming weeks in the area of 68 rubles per dollar."

Such dynamics will be observed due to the decline in importers' demand for foreign currency characteristic of the beginning of the year, as well as a likely surge in the sale of foreign currency by exporters, said Syrovatkin.

In addition, during the year, it is expected to maintain a trade surplus and compensate for the budget deficit at the expense of the National Welfare Fund, as well as an increase in domestic debt. Thus, the Russian currency will not experience significant fluctuations until the end of 2023.

Earlier, analysts of the largest banks predicted a slight weakening of the ruble against major world currencies. It is noted that the average exchange rate of the ruble to the dollar next year may vary in the range of 70.1-73.3, to the euro — 73.6-77, to the yuan — 10.4-10.5. According to Mikhail Vasiliev, the chief analyst of Sovcombank, in 2023 one should not expect the ruble to be as volatile as in 2022.