Recently, we have been seeing signs of a fever in Western stock markets: a fall in stock indices on almost all Western stock exchanges, rather sharp fluctuations in world currencies. Since the process of Russia's integration into the world economy...

IN

Lately, we have been seeing signs of a fever in Western stock markets: a drop in stock indices on almost all Western stock exchanges, rather sharp fluctuations in world currencies. Since the process of Russia's integration into the world economy becomes more and more intense over time, this leads to the idea that the fall in indices on Western stock exchanges that began in 2001 cannot but affect the state of the Russian stock and financial markets. According to some analysts, as early as the summer of 2001, serious problems may begin on the US stock market. If we go back 20-30 years ago, it is not difficult to remember how the economies of America and Europe reacted to global shocks. Conflicts in the Middle East have repeatedly led to higher prices for oil and other energy resources. In response, the leaders of the world economy have always found new technological solutions that allow the US and Europe to get by with less raw materials. So, for example, the consumption of gasoline by automobile engines has decreased by 2-3 times over 30 years. It can be assumed that one of the ways out of the emerging crisis in the advanced countries will be a new round of energy savings. Since oil and gas occupy a significant part in the structure of Russian exports, a possible economic crisis in the United States and Europe could hurt the Russian economy, sharply reducing the flow of foreign currency into the country. In this case, another crisis could happen in Russia. At the same time, banks and other financial institutions will be less vulnerable, firstly, diversifying their loan portfolio, and secondly, investing in those sectors of the domestic economy whose products are designed for consumption in the domestic market.

Since recently Russians have again reached out to banks and have placed $6 billion over the past two years alone, many of them cannot help but worry about the safety and reliability of bank deposits. It is known that the reliability of any bank is determined by where and how the bank places funds received from depositors.

For example, in 2000 alone, the volume of lending to the real sector of the economy by Sberbank amounted to 255 billion rubles. The increase in own capital (by the end of last year it increased to 30 billion rubles) allows the bank to remain one of the few Russian banks capable of issuing large loans to enterprises and not violating either the Central Bank's standards or internationally recognized sustainability and reliability criteria.

Sberbank invests not only in the production of consumer goods, many loans are used to upgrade and modernize fixed production assets in various industries. The largest loans were provided to enterprises in the gas, oil refining, chemical and food industries, as well as to export projects in the defense industry and telecommunications.

Directing money into the real economy and distributing it across different industries indicates a reasonable and balanced approach of the bank to the placement of depositors' funds, which it invests in projects with different payback periods and profitability.

Long-term investments in industries with relatively low profitability will ensure the stability of investors' income for a long time. Short-term investments in highly profitable enterprises guarantee the timely return of term deposits; the bank is always on the way to repay any loan, and not even one, or interest on it.

Such an investment is beneficial not only for industrialists, but also for Sberbank depositors, who can be sure of the safety and increase of their money, because the bank minimizes their risks. Such placement of funds gives the bank an additional guarantee of reliability, and this is confirmed by the increased interest in the shares of Sberbank on the part of participants in the Russian stock market, expressed in the rise in their quotations.

Even if, without any state system of guaranteeing and protecting deposits, Sberbank still managed to ensure the safety of its depositors' money, now after several years you can be sure that bank deposits will bring their owners more benefits than keeping them under the pillow.