Bank, the statistics newsletter of the Bank of Russia in Sverdlovsk Region, published its report on the local foreign currency market in 2006. On the whole, the number of operations on the market exceeded that for 2005 by 1.8%. The number of banks’ transactions involving foreign cash went down 1.7% in the last quarter of the year compared to the previous quarter. Natural persons withdrew 17.6% more money from their foreign currency accounts in October-December 2006 compared to the previous quarter and 1.7% more money in 2006 compared to a year earlier. At the same time, they invested 5.1% less money in the last quarter of 2006 compared to the third quarter; the amount of investment throughout 2006 decreased by 1.4% against 2005. This was not the case with ruble accounts: 50.9% more of them were opened up by individuals in 2006 against 2005 and 13% more accounts were set up in October-December 2006 compared to July-September 2006. The dollar/ruble exchange rate dropped by 8.5% last year; that of the euro rose by 1.5%. The continuing decrease in the dollar/ruble rate of exchange and the end of summer holiday and traveling season contributed to foreign currency selling not so well in the last quarter of 2006 (there was a 3.9% drop compared to the previous quarter). The official euro/ruble rate of exchange did not happen to fluctuate as dramatically as it did on the international markets due to proportional changes in the Bank of Russia’s mixed currency basket.