Consumer price inflation eased in 2012, mainly due to the decline in global food and fuel prices. Budget balances deteriorated in most of the economies due to increased public spending. On the external side, current account surpluses of the economies that are net energy exporters contracted, and the current account deficit of the net energy importers widened. Owing to slower economic growth in Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, the remittances of overseas workers from these countries to net energy-importing countries in the subregion started slowing.