Ukraine debt insurance costs fall on IMF deal expectations

LONDON (Reuters) - Ukraine debt insurance costs fell below the key 1,000 basis point level for the first time in a month on Wednesday on expectations of an imminent IMF deal. The International Monetary Fund is expected to announce a bailout package for Ukraine of about $15 billion as early as Thursday, the Financial Times said, citing officials involved in the negotiations. Ukraine's five-year credit default swaps fell 43 basis points from Tuesday's close to a one-month low of 970 basis points, according to Markit, below the 1,000 level that indicates distressed debt. (Reporting by Carolyn Cohn; editing by Sujata Rao)