BLBG:Uganda Shilling Weakens for Second Day on Dollar Demand
Uganda’s shilling, the world’s worst-performing currency in 2011, weakened for a second day against the dollar as companies bought the greenback for payments.
The currency of East Africa’s third-biggest economy depreciated 0.2 percent to 2,820.50 per dollar at 1:55 p.m. in the capital, Kampala, taking its drop this year to 18 percent, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The shilling fell as low as 2,830 on Aug. 26, the weakest level since 1993.
A surge in food and fuel prices pushed inflation to 21.4 percent in August, the highest since February 1993, from 18.8 percent in July, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics said yesterday.
“There is increased appetite for the dollar after the inflation figures came out,” Lucas Ochieng, the head of currency trading at Orient Bank Ltd. said by phone from Kampala.
To contact the reporter on this story: Fred Ojambo in Kampala at fojambo@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net