The Central Bank of Russia reported that its Business Climate Index rose to minus 2.4 points in August from minus 3.5 points in July, driven mainly by more favorable company expectations for output and demand over the next three months. Businesses’ price expectations edged higher, while their assessments of lending conditions became more positive. The August monitoring report also includes, for the first time, survey results on companies’ capital-raising strategies and their assessment of access to financial resources.