Rouble firms on Ukraine hopes June 24, 2014 THE RUSSIAN rouble shot up against the dollar yesterday, reaching its highest level since January, as Moscow gave stronger indications that the conflict in Ukraine would be de-escalated. Russian President Vladimir Putin asked the country’s legislators yesterday to rescind permission he had been previously granted to intervene militarily in Ukraine. The dollar dropped below the [...]
Ukrainian upheaval takes heavy toll on JP Morgan’s Russia fund June 19, 2014 JP MORGAN’S listed Russian fund sank to its lowest value for five years at the end of April after unrest in Ukraine cast a pall over Russian companies. JP Morgan Russian Securities Plc, the only UK listed fund investing exclusively in Russia, lost about one third of its value for the six months ending April. [...]
War, what is it good for? Bull runs on stocks May 20, 2014 THE CHANCE of war this May is a signal to buy stocks, according to a note from Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Stocks have historically declined in the run-up to conflicts, but then “rally hard once war commences”. Michael Hartnett, chief investment strategist at BAML, points to World War II stock movements to make his [...]
BoAML: Stocks likely to “rally hard” if war commences May 20, 2014 The chance of war this May is a signal to buy stocks, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Stocks have historically declined in the run-up to war, but then "rally hard once war commences". Michael Hartnett, chief investment strategist at BoAML, points to World War II stock movements to make his point. The chart [...]
Putin doesn’t need to invade Ukraine to get what he wants April 16, 2014 THE SIMMERING crisis in Ukraine has just been brought to a boil again. Pushed to the point of no return, the fledgling government in Kiev has at last responded to Russian provocations, for the first time deploying troops, aircraft, and armoured carriers in the east of the country. Kiev has explicitly labelled this an “anti-terrorist [...]
How the West’s utopians damned Ukraine to Russian dominance April 14, 2014 THERE is little doubt that Ukraine stands perilously on the edge of disaster, if not full invasion, as Russian troops assemble on its borders and pro-Russian activists violently demonstrate in key eastern cities. So why, in response, has the West floundered? There is a critical division between the major western foreign policy schools of thought [...]
Russian firms count the cost of Crimea crisis March 24, 2014 RUSSIAN firms in London have seen their share prices tank and borrowing costs leap since the Ukraine crisis, with the businesses worried their reputations have taken a severe knock. Some Russian stocks trading in the UK have fallen by more than 30 per cent since the start of the year, as turmoil in emerging markets [...]
Referendum for Crimea spurned by G7 countries March 12, 2014 THE G7 nations will not accept the results of any referendum in Crimea, and has told the Russian government to halt its work on the vote, which is set to take place in three days. In a communique yesterday, the leaders from advanced economies said: “Any such referendum would have no legal effect. Given the [...]
This week’s 4 must-see charts March 7, 2014 The Fed’s use of the word “weather”, vulnerable high street profits, gold’s revival, and the economic effects of the Ukraine crisis. We bring you some of our favourite analysts’ picks of the most important graphs this week. David Lebovitz, global market strategist at JP Morgan Asset Management: There has been a lot of discussion of [...]
Russians hit by US travel ban over Ukraine March 6, 2014 RUSSIAN officials accused of orchestrating the invasion of Ukraine face a US travel ban, are set to have their assets frozen and will be stopped from doing business with American firms, under an order signed by President Obama yesterday. The EU froze ousted President Viktor Yanukovych’s assets in Europe, as well as targeting 18 people [...]