On Wednesday, the FTSE 100 ended flat, as it pared losses thanks to the energy and cyclical stocks that gained. This helped in balancing the rather underwhelming updates on production from mining companies. The midcap index was also able to stay afloat because of the gains reported by brick manufacturer Ibstock and airline stocks. The blue-chip London index closed flat for the day and top gainers included names of consumer staples like Diageo, Unilever and British American Tobacco. Oil companies like BP and Shell also experienced a boost. However, there was a 5.1% decline in mining stocks that weighed on the index.

This included Anglo American, which fell by nearly 8.8%, after its production outlook was reduced significantly because of inflationary pressures. Market strategists said that the biggest focus for now was the earnings season. They added that this time the earnings forecast were at risk not because of the revenue line, but because of costs, as raw material and wage costs are climbing and supply chain disruptions continue to happen. There was a 2.5% decline in BH Group after the largest listed miner in the world reported that the March quarter had resulted in weaker-than-expected production. This was primarily because of the labor crunch brought on by the pandemic.

There was a 7.1% decline in Antofagasta, as the copper production of the Chilean miner declined by 24% in the first quarter in a year. It reached a low of 138,000 tonnes because of lower grades and drought. Meanwhile, Catherine Mann, the rate-setter for the Bank of England, said that there would be further increase in borrowing costs, as it is unlikely that there would be a decline in consumer demand. Thus, businesses will continue to increase prices as well. Currently, all eyes are trained on the monetary policy of the central bank, as nothing can be decided before then.

The FTSE 250 index, which is domestically focused, saw an increase of 0.4%, with easyJetand Wizz Air gaining by 4.9% and 4.4%, respectively. This was after United Airlines, their US peer, also reported an upbeat outlook. There was an 8.8% climb in Ibstock, as the company stated that its full-year performance is expected to be better than expectations. Rentokil Initial, the company that offers pest control services, reported that it was experiencing a strong quarter and this saw its value go up by almost 1.8%.

The April 2022Global Financial Stability Report of the IMF has highlighted the consequences of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The document said that the role of the US dollar was bound to be affected because of the conflict, as it would lead to the introduction of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and the global financial system’s resiliency would also be put to a test. The climate transition goals could also be put at risk because of the priorities associated with energy security. Another issue that would have to be dealt with in the coming years by lawmakers is the ‘cryptoization’ which is likely to occur because emerging markets are experiencing a widespread use of crypto.

IMF cited an increase in crypto trading volumes seen after the introduction of sanctions on Russia to back their statement. This included the financial penalties that had been imposed by Western nations on Russia because of its military invasion. The report said that such cross-border transactions were increasing in the long-term, which means that there would be challenges when it comes to imposing sanctions and managing capital flow. The IMF noted that crypto transactions have increased in both Russia and Ukraine because of the capital restrictions that have been imposed.

However, it is important to note that there has been a fall in liquidity in centralized exchanges where the hryvnia and ruble trading pairs are concerned. Therefore, using crypto exchanges for making large transfers has become rather impractical due to reduced liquidity. But, the IMF admitted that users do have the option of evading some measures via the crypto ecosystem because the identity verification requirements are quite lax in this industry. Hence, the international organization said that blocking new deposits of ruble and freezing crypto assets meant that users could have shifted to non-complying or less transparent crypto platforms and service providers.

Experts at IMF believe that both Russia and Iran could circumvent their respective sanctions via crypto mining. The nations could use their energy resources for generating revenue via crypto mining outside of the traditional financial system. Currently, the countries have a limited share of crypto mining activities, but there is a possibility that it could be increased, considering the size of the mining industry. The IMF quoted estimates showing that almost 11% of the mining revenues of bitcoin could have gone to Russia, which was around $1.4 billion per month, while Iran’s share had been 3%.