Retail trade turnover in Russia increases 2.8% in Aug - Rosstat

Retail trade turnover in Russia increased 2.8% year-on-year in August, Rosstat said on Wednesday, as per Interfax.

The result was better than the Interfax consensus forecast, which expected an increase of 2.2%. The growth quickened from 2% in July 2025. The turnover increased 2.2% in January-August.

Retail trade in food, including beverages and tobacco, rose 1.5% YoY in August and 2.4% in July, and 2.4% in 8M. Non-food retail trade rose 4.2%, 1.6% and 2%, respectively.

Food retail accounted for 46.9% of all retail in August 2025 and non-food retail for 53.1%, compared with 46.3% and 53.7%, respectively, in August 2024. Retail trade was 5.354 trillion rubles in nominal terms in August and 39.431 trillion rubles in 8M 2025.

The consensus forecast of economists surveyed by Interfax in September suggests that the growth rates will continue to slow down in 2025, and the indicator will increase 2.2%. The updated official forecast of the Economic Development Ministry from September 2025 envisages an increase in the indicator of 2.5%.

Retail trade turnover in Russia increased 7.7% in 2024.

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OPEC has received updated schedules for compensation for past overproduction under the OPEC+ deal from eight countries that participated in voluntary oil production cuts in line with an agreement reached on September 7, the organization said in a press release, as per Interfax.

Under the new schedule, Russia will compensate, meaning additionally cut production, by 34,000 barrels per day every month from the set quotas in the period from September through December 2025.

Under the previous schedule, Russia was supposed to compensate 226,000 bpd from September through December, including 85,000 bpd in September, 70,000 bpd in October, 65,000 bpd in November and 6,000 bpd in December.

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Russian GDP grew an estimated 0.4% year-on-year in August, the Economic Development Ministry said in a report on the current economic situation, as per Interfax.

GDP rose 0.4% in July also. It rose 1.0% in June, 0.7% in May and 1.5% in April. GDP grew 1.1% in March, 0.5% in February and 2.7% in January.

The economy grew an estimated 1.0% year-on-year in January-August, the ministry said.

"The Russian Economic Development Ministry estimates GDP grew 0.4% year-on-year in August 2025, as in July. The seasonally adjusted growth rate was 0.0% month-on-month. GDP growth was 1.0% year-on-year in the first eight months of 2025," the ministry said.

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Operating conditions in the US manufacturing sector continued to improve in September, but less than in August owing to slower growth in new orders, according to Chemweek.

The seasonally adjusted PMI came to 52.0 in September, down from 53.0 in August. A PMI above 50 indicates improvement from the previous month, while a figure below 50 indicates decline.

“US manufacturing production rose for a fourth successive month in September, but the upturn lost momentum as companies reported a drop in order book growth alongside a buildup of unsold finished goods inventories,” said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

New orders increased for a ninth consecutive month, but only modestly and at a level below the survey average, said Market Intelligence. Exports were a key factor, falling for a third month in a row. Survey respondents cited tariffs, particularly for exports to Canada and Mexico.

“Despite a slowing in demand growth, many factories produced more goods, using up raw materials that had been stockpiled ahead of tariff implementation,” Williamson said. “This poses a downside risk to future production in the absence of a pickup in demand, though [it] also hints at some alleviation of price pressures -- there is already evidence of companies offering excess stock to customers at reduced rates.”

Williamson said tariff-related vendor delays increased in September. If they persist or intensify, he added, they could result in production constraints and higher prices.

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Syensqo SA has invented a proprietary chemical recycling technology that depolymerizes sulfone polymers to obtain purified raw material monomers, enabling the infinite circularity of sulfone polymers, the company said in a statement Oct. 1, as per Chemweek.

The new technology builds on Syensqo’s sustainable sulfone polymers portfolio and relies on proprietary chemical recycling processes to break down formulated polyarylethersulfone (PAES) content in postindustrial production scrap and postconsumer parts into monomer feedstock for reuse in new polymer products, the company said.

The purified monomers can be incorporated infinitely into the company’s polysulfone, polyphenylsulphone and polyethersulfone products, as well as into other thermoplastics or even epoxy resin formulations without loss of performance, Syensqo said.

“By enabling the recycling of sulfone polymers from both production scrap and end-of-life products, we help reduce carbon footprint and increase recycled content in a wide range of applications, from hemodialysis and water filtration to aerospace,” said Floryan De Campo, vice president/life solutions at Syensqo specialty polymers.

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