Russia Seen Weighing Capital Controls If 2015 Outflows Mount

Russian capital outflows more than doubled to a record last year and the government may resort to currency restrictions if the pace doesn’t ease in 2015, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists.

Net outflows soared almost 10-fold to an estimated $72.9 billion in the fourth quarter from the previous three months, pushing last year’s total to $151.5 billion, the central bank said on its website today. That compares with $61 billion in 2013. Capital controls are likely if private money leaves at a $240 billion annualized rate in 2015, or $60 billion this quarter, according to the median estimate of 14 economists.