"Macho posturing, it turns out, makes for bad economies" - Paul Krugman
Another Big Win For Putin!!!
- Thread starter 88m3
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Futuristic Eskimo
All Star
USDRUB 68+
88m3
Fast Money & Foreign Objects
Fancy a laugh?
See how Russia repairs their fighters
http://englishrussia.com/2014/12/19/this-is-how-russia-repairs-and-improves-military-aircrafts/
See how Russia repairs their fighters
http://englishrussia.com/2014/12/19/this-is-how-russia-repairs-and-improves-military-aircrafts/
Amphibious
Land, water, wherever.
this isn't news but I saw this on reddit: compilation of russian gifs.
(I can't embed the gif for some reason).
http://i.imgur.com/TKQi6c6.webm
It's what Russia does breh, peep this
And feast
88m3
Fast Money & Foreign Objects
It's what Russia does breh, peep this
And feast
I was watching some of these earlier today, never gets old
Futuristic Eskimo
All Star
Ruble Slumps Fourth Day on Rate Cut as $10 Billion Debt Looms
(Bloomberg) -- The ruble sank for a fourth day after the central bank’s surprise interest-rate cut on Friday eroded support for the Russian currency as companies face $10.2 billion of foreign-currency debt payments this month.
The maturing loans and bonds may exert pressure on the ruble, which was the biggest loser in emerging markets in January as fresh sanctions over Ukraine loom. The 200 basis-point interest rate cut stoked concern central bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina is bowing to government pressure to foster growth by reducing borrowing costs. The ruble pared declines after Brent oil surged as much as 5 percent today.
“The sudden rate cut and lack of clarity behind the central bank’s policy continue to weigh on the ruble,” Andrey Vashevnik, who manages $25 million as the chief investment officer at R&B Investment Fund Ltd. in Moscow, said by phone. “Large foreign-debt repayments will pressure the currency. I expect the ruble to fall lower as there are no fundamental support factors.”
The ruble lost as much as 2.3 percent against the dollar, before trading down 0.5 percent at 69.2250 at 3:43 p.m. in Moscow. Government bonds gained for a second day, pushing the five-year yield down 28 basis points to 14.59 percent, the lowest since Dec. 15, as the rate cut made the return on local bonds more appealing to investors.
Nabiullina is trying to keep lending flowing in an economy on the brink of contraction, while avoiding a deeper currency slump that’s already punishing local companies, with a wine importer filing for bankruptcy. A manufacturing indicator fell to the lowest since June 2009 last month, according to a purchasing managers’ index released by HSBC and Markit Economics.
Wine, Jeans
Traders have pared bets on the central bank’s rate cuts over the next three months to about 1 percentage point from as much as 8.7 percentage points on Dec. 22, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Russia’s second-largest French wine importer, the Rusimport trading house, filed for bankruptcy after the ruble’s 46 percent decline last year sent the cost of imports soaring, according to court documents and a report by the Kommersant newspaper.
The currency’s weakness also scuppered a plan by Russian clothes retailer Gloria Jeans to sell a 25 percent stake for $250 million to investors including Goldman Sachs Group Inc, according to the Vedomosti newspaper.
After tumbling as much as 4.3 percent following the rate cut on Friday, the ruble pared its loss to 0.3 percent as crude oil, Russia’s main export earner, surged 7.9 percent. Brent climbed 1.6 percent today on speculation a strike among U.S. refiners is lifting prices for refined fuels.
Short-Term
“Brent has risen to $55 and is boosting the ruble,” Sergey Fishgoyt, the deputy head of foreign-exchange trading at Otkritie Bank in Moscow, said by e-mail. “This move is most likely short-term although we might see Brent rise to $60 or $65 this year.”
Fighting between Ukraine government forces and pro-Russian rebels in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine has intensified, deepening the worst standoff between Russia and the U.S. since the Cold War. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called on Sunday for a truce in the separatist conflict.
The Micex Index rose 0.2 percent to 1,650.73, led by oil producers OAO Tatneft and OAO Bashneft. The dollar-denominated RTS index gained 1.8 percent, snapping three days of declines.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ksenia Galouchko in Moscow at kgalouchko1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Wojciech Moskwa at wmoskwa@bloomberg.net Alex Nicholson, Daliah Merzaban
(Bloomberg) -- The ruble sank for a fourth day after the central bank’s surprise interest-rate cut on Friday eroded support for the Russian currency as companies face $10.2 billion of foreign-currency debt payments this month.
The maturing loans and bonds may exert pressure on the ruble, which was the biggest loser in emerging markets in January as fresh sanctions over Ukraine loom. The 200 basis-point interest rate cut stoked concern central bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina is bowing to government pressure to foster growth by reducing borrowing costs. The ruble pared declines after Brent oil surged as much as 5 percent today.
“The sudden rate cut and lack of clarity behind the central bank’s policy continue to weigh on the ruble,” Andrey Vashevnik, who manages $25 million as the chief investment officer at R&B Investment Fund Ltd. in Moscow, said by phone. “Large foreign-debt repayments will pressure the currency. I expect the ruble to fall lower as there are no fundamental support factors.”
The ruble lost as much as 2.3 percent against the dollar, before trading down 0.5 percent at 69.2250 at 3:43 p.m. in Moscow. Government bonds gained for a second day, pushing the five-year yield down 28 basis points to 14.59 percent, the lowest since Dec. 15, as the rate cut made the return on local bonds more appealing to investors.
Nabiullina is trying to keep lending flowing in an economy on the brink of contraction, while avoiding a deeper currency slump that’s already punishing local companies, with a wine importer filing for bankruptcy. A manufacturing indicator fell to the lowest since June 2009 last month, according to a purchasing managers’ index released by HSBC and Markit Economics.
Wine, Jeans
Traders have pared bets on the central bank’s rate cuts over the next three months to about 1 percentage point from as much as 8.7 percentage points on Dec. 22, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Russia’s second-largest French wine importer, the Rusimport trading house, filed for bankruptcy after the ruble’s 46 percent decline last year sent the cost of imports soaring, according to court documents and a report by the Kommersant newspaper.
The currency’s weakness also scuppered a plan by Russian clothes retailer Gloria Jeans to sell a 25 percent stake for $250 million to investors including Goldman Sachs Group Inc, according to the Vedomosti newspaper.
After tumbling as much as 4.3 percent following the rate cut on Friday, the ruble pared its loss to 0.3 percent as crude oil, Russia’s main export earner, surged 7.9 percent. Brent climbed 1.6 percent today on speculation a strike among U.S. refiners is lifting prices for refined fuels.
Short-Term
“Brent has risen to $55 and is boosting the ruble,” Sergey Fishgoyt, the deputy head of foreign-exchange trading at Otkritie Bank in Moscow, said by e-mail. “This move is most likely short-term although we might see Brent rise to $60 or $65 this year.”
Fighting between Ukraine government forces and pro-Russian rebels in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine has intensified, deepening the worst standoff between Russia and the U.S. since the Cold War. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called on Sunday for a truce in the separatist conflict.
The Micex Index rose 0.2 percent to 1,650.73, led by oil producers OAO Tatneft and OAO Bashneft. The dollar-denominated RTS index gained 1.8 percent, snapping three days of declines.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ksenia Galouchko in Moscow at kgalouchko1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Wojciech Moskwa at wmoskwa@bloomberg.net Alex Nicholson, Daliah Merzaban
I'm not even going to pretend that I'm not enjoying how the CIA is planting all of these stories for my general entertainment
The propaganda machine is giving me great joy
88m3
Fast Money & Foreign Objects
Outraged Russians are Instagramming their food-inflation nightmare
Inflation in the country is at its highest level since the financial crisis (about 11.4%), and some say it could get up to 17% around March.
Things have gotten so bad that Russian officials are even thinking about putting a price cap on "essential food products," reports the Moscow Times.
But politics aside, it's the everyday Russian consumers who have been hit the hardest by all of this — especially because it doesn't look as if this will end anytime soon.
And Russians have even taken to social media to express concern (or just to straight-up complain) about the rising prices.
https://instagram.com/p/ynQF0DqVs7/
Translation: Maybe I just don't understand anything in this life, but it seems that a kilo of nuts can't possibly cost the same as 200 loaves of bread.
2,216.16 rubles = $33.20 for 2.2 lbs of nuts
In the photo below, notice that the store has a fake discount: The price crossed out is the same as the "new" price.
https://instagram.com/p/x8kiJxGPcV/
Translation: Well, that's marketing! Had a good laugh. This is just in one store, we weren't paying attention in others. Prices have skyrocketed for most products by almost 2x. We had to cut the [grocery] list for the week. #thepricesbite #goawaycrisis #everythingwillbeok #we'llbreakthrough #bought the child everything that was necessary
Cottage cheese: 69.19 rubles for 220 grams = $1.04 for 0.48 lbs
Cheese: 146.39 rubles for 230 grams = $2.19 for 0.5 lbs
https://instagram.com/p/yZ8pr0LuOd/
Translation: Didn't think that I would ever put this on my page, but this costs me almost 400 rubles. For whaaaat?!??!?! #samara #pricesarebiting
400 rubles for an assortment of cottage cheese, cheese, and a dairy drink
https://instagram.com/p/xJeMPxG78D/
Translation: Watermelon!?!? No, don't need it. Somehow, we'll survive without it. #watermelon #goodpleasure #thepricesarebiting #blagoveshenk #blg #blaga #28region #28rus #blg
2,360 rubles = $35.5 dollars
381.60 rubles per kilogram = $5.72 for 2.2 lbs
https://instagram.com/p/uLWNWes5wS/
Translation: The cheese got more expensive. #cheese #inflation #devaluation #sanctions #Crimea #theukrainianquestion #thepricesarebiting #denomination #politics #economics #cheesecrisis #dairy products #market #finances #salary #pension
prices from 299 rubles to 900 rubles = $4.5 to $13.48
(Note: this specific photo is from October, so this is before things got really bad.)
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/russians-instagram-food-inflation-2015-2#ixzz3QiLPKLaO
- FEB. 3, 2015, 9:06 AM
- 9,794
- 29
Inflation in the country is at its highest level since the financial crisis (about 11.4%), and some say it could get up to 17% around March.
Things have gotten so bad that Russian officials are even thinking about putting a price cap on "essential food products," reports the Moscow Times.
But politics aside, it's the everyday Russian consumers who have been hit the hardest by all of this — especially because it doesn't look as if this will end anytime soon.
And Russians have even taken to social media to express concern (or just to straight-up complain) about the rising prices.
https://instagram.com/p/ynQF0DqVs7/
Translation: Maybe I just don't understand anything in this life, but it seems that a kilo of nuts can't possibly cost the same as 200 loaves of bread.
2,216.16 rubles = $33.20 for 2.2 lbs of nuts
In the photo below, notice that the store has a fake discount: The price crossed out is the same as the "new" price.
https://instagram.com/p/x8kiJxGPcV/
Translation: Well, that's marketing! Had a good laugh. This is just in one store, we weren't paying attention in others. Prices have skyrocketed for most products by almost 2x. We had to cut the [grocery] list for the week. #thepricesbite #goawaycrisis #everythingwillbeok #we'llbreakthrough #bought the child everything that was necessary
Cottage cheese: 69.19 rubles for 220 grams = $1.04 for 0.48 lbs
Cheese: 146.39 rubles for 230 grams = $2.19 for 0.5 lbs
https://instagram.com/p/yZ8pr0LuOd/
Translation: Didn't think that I would ever put this on my page, but this costs me almost 400 rubles. For whaaaat?!??!?! #samara #pricesarebiting
400 rubles for an assortment of cottage cheese, cheese, and a dairy drink
https://instagram.com/p/xJeMPxG78D/
Translation: Watermelon!?!? No, don't need it. Somehow, we'll survive without it. #watermelon #goodpleasure #thepricesarebiting #blagoveshenk #blg #blaga #28region #28rus #blg
2,360 rubles = $35.5 dollars
381.60 rubles per kilogram = $5.72 for 2.2 lbs
https://instagram.com/p/uLWNWes5wS/
Translation: The cheese got more expensive. #cheese #inflation #devaluation #sanctions #Crimea #theukrainianquestion #thepricesarebiting #denomination #politics #economics #cheesecrisis #dairy products #market #finances #salary #pension
prices from 299 rubles to 900 rubles = $4.5 to $13.48
(Note: this specific photo is from October, so this is before things got really bad.)
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/russians-instagram-food-inflation-2015-2#ixzz3QiLPKLaO
who is entering? certainly not these pathetic putin stans here in america curled up with their dollar blankie.
88m3
Fast Money & Foreign Objects
Ukraine crisis: Nato to bolster Eastern Europe against Russia
Nato plans to boost its forces in Eastern Europe follows an offensive by pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine
Continue reading the main story
Ukraine crisis
Nato is set to announce details of a plan to bolster the alliance's military presence in Eastern Europe in response to continued fighting in Ukraine.
The bloc's chief says it will be the biggest reinforcement of its collective defence since the end of the Cold War.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry is to hold talks in Kiev as the US considers whether to send weapons to help Ukraine fight pro-Russian rebels.
The US has so far only provided "non-lethal" assistance to Ukraine.
On Wednesday Ashton Carter, the White House's choice for defence secretary, said he was "inclined" to start supplying arms.
Rapid reaction
Nato defence ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday will seek to reassure the alliance's member nations in Eastern Europe by boosting its forces there.
A rapid reaction force of up to 5,000 is expected to be announced, with its lead units able to deploy at two days' notice.
More than 5,000 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine and clashes have worsened in recent weeks
Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg has said the bloc faces a "fundamental change" to its security environment because of Russian aggression.
Speaking as ministers arrived in Brussels, he said: "This is something we do as a response to the aggressive actions we have seen from Russia, violating international law and annexing Crimea," he said.
"I very much underline that this is something we do because we have to adapt our forces when we see that the world is changing."
Nato will also reveal plans for a network of small command centres in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria.
The move is being seen as a potential deterrent against any Russian threat to the Baltic states or other bloc members should the crisis in Ukraine spin out of control.
Russia denies accusations by Ukraine and the West that it is arming rebels in eastern Ukraine and sending regular troops across the border.
Analysis: Jonathan Marcus, BBC diplomatic correspondent
Nato sees its actions as entirely defensive - but this is not the way they will be seen in Moscow.
Indeed their fundamentally different perceptions of the Ukraine crisis is what is driving the wider rift between Russia and the West.
Nato's wider actions - it also plans to open a training centre in Georgia and support for the reform of Ukraine's military - all ring alarm bells in Moscow.
Tensions could get worse still if the US or other Nato allies move to arm the Ukrainian military.
This is not a Nato issue as such but something for national governments, and everyone is watching the course of the evolving debate within the Obama administration.
Nato readjusts as Ukraine crisis looms
Later on Thursday, Mr Kerry will meet Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk in Ukraine's capital.
The issue of weapons deliveries to Ukraine - and other avenues of US assistance - is expected to be one of the main items on the agenda.
President Poroshenko (L) and Mr Kerry have stated they favour a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis
On Wednesday Mr Carter, who previously served as deputy secretary of defence, appeared in front of the Senate Armed Service committee in Washington for questioning ahead of a full Senate confirmation vote on his nomination as Secretary of Defense.
He spoke positively on the possibility of moving arms supplies to the Ukrainians.
"I'm very much inclined in that direction, mister chairman, because I think we need to support the Ukrainians in defending themselves," he said when asked by Senator John McCain if he supported delivering "defensive weapons" to Ukraine.
"The nature of those arms, I can't say right now," he added.
Ongoing fighting
The White House has previously expressed fears that sending in weapons could trigger a tense confrontation with Russia and escalate the conflict.
But US President Barack Obama is now said to be reconsidering his position, accusing Russia of escalating the conflict in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Fighting has intensified in recent weeks, leaving a September ceasefire in tatters.
Earlier this week, a group of former senior US officials and officers urged a major increase in military assistance, including providing light-armour missiles designed to take out tanks and armoured vehicles.
And on Tuesday, a group of US senators called on President Obama and Nato "to rapidly increase military assistance to Ukraine to defend its sovereign borders against escalating Russian aggression".
Fighting in eastern Ukraine began last April, when separatists seized government buildings after Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula.
More than 5,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31142276
Continue reading the main story
Ukraine crisis
Nato is set to announce details of a plan to bolster the alliance's military presence in Eastern Europe in response to continued fighting in Ukraine.
The bloc's chief says it will be the biggest reinforcement of its collective defence since the end of the Cold War.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry is to hold talks in Kiev as the US considers whether to send weapons to help Ukraine fight pro-Russian rebels.
The US has so far only provided "non-lethal" assistance to Ukraine.
On Wednesday Ashton Carter, the White House's choice for defence secretary, said he was "inclined" to start supplying arms.
Rapid reaction
Nato defence ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday will seek to reassure the alliance's member nations in Eastern Europe by boosting its forces there.
A rapid reaction force of up to 5,000 is expected to be announced, with its lead units able to deploy at two days' notice.
Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg has said the bloc faces a "fundamental change" to its security environment because of Russian aggression.
Speaking as ministers arrived in Brussels, he said: "This is something we do as a response to the aggressive actions we have seen from Russia, violating international law and annexing Crimea," he said.
"I very much underline that this is something we do because we have to adapt our forces when we see that the world is changing."
Nato will also reveal plans for a network of small command centres in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria.
The move is being seen as a potential deterrent against any Russian threat to the Baltic states or other bloc members should the crisis in Ukraine spin out of control.
Russia denies accusations by Ukraine and the West that it is arming rebels in eastern Ukraine and sending regular troops across the border.
Analysis: Jonathan Marcus, BBC diplomatic correspondent
Nato sees its actions as entirely defensive - but this is not the way they will be seen in Moscow.
Indeed their fundamentally different perceptions of the Ukraine crisis is what is driving the wider rift between Russia and the West.
Nato's wider actions - it also plans to open a training centre in Georgia and support for the reform of Ukraine's military - all ring alarm bells in Moscow.
Tensions could get worse still if the US or other Nato allies move to arm the Ukrainian military.
This is not a Nato issue as such but something for national governments, and everyone is watching the course of the evolving debate within the Obama administration.
Nato readjusts as Ukraine crisis looms
Later on Thursday, Mr Kerry will meet Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk in Ukraine's capital.
The issue of weapons deliveries to Ukraine - and other avenues of US assistance - is expected to be one of the main items on the agenda.
On Wednesday Mr Carter, who previously served as deputy secretary of defence, appeared in front of the Senate Armed Service committee in Washington for questioning ahead of a full Senate confirmation vote on his nomination as Secretary of Defense.
He spoke positively on the possibility of moving arms supplies to the Ukrainians.
"I'm very much inclined in that direction, mister chairman, because I think we need to support the Ukrainians in defending themselves," he said when asked by Senator John McCain if he supported delivering "defensive weapons" to Ukraine.
"The nature of those arms, I can't say right now," he added.
Ongoing fighting
The White House has previously expressed fears that sending in weapons could trigger a tense confrontation with Russia and escalate the conflict.
But US President Barack Obama is now said to be reconsidering his position, accusing Russia of escalating the conflict in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Fighting has intensified in recent weeks, leaving a September ceasefire in tatters.
Earlier this week, a group of former senior US officials and officers urged a major increase in military assistance, including providing light-armour missiles designed to take out tanks and armoured vehicles.
And on Tuesday, a group of US senators called on President Obama and Nato "to rapidly increase military assistance to Ukraine to defend its sovereign borders against escalating Russian aggression".
Fighting in eastern Ukraine began last April, when separatists seized government buildings after Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula.
More than 5,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31142276
88m3
Fast Money & Foreign Objects
Sochi Winter Olympic stadiums lie empty and abandoned
Pictures show that few of the multi-million dollar stadiums are in use
ROSE TROUP BUCHANAN
Saturday 07 February 2015
PRINT
A A A
Pictures have emerged showing the Sochi Olympics Winter Park standing empty and neglected just a year after Russian president Vladimir Putin pumped billions into the venue.
Many of the custom built stadiums, which cost an estimated $51 billion in total, now appear deserted and unused.
The companies that maintain the facilities are reportedly struggling to stay afloat as tourist numbers plummet.
Local journalist Alexander Valov pointed out that the Bolshoy Ice Dome, which cost the Russian taxpayer £197 million, requires a budget of £9,900 a day in upkeep.
Two cormorants fly over the coast in the Black Sea resort of SochiSince the opening ceremony of the 22 Winter Olympics tourists have visited, but Mr Valov claims only to see “where the millions of dollars have gone.”
“I think it is the same kind of interest people have as in the Museum of Corruption in the former residence of the [toppled] president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich,” he told the Mail Online.
READ MORE: DOES SOCHI SUIT BRITISH SKIERS?
OLYMPIC GAMES CHANGES: WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
The Fisht stadium, which cost hundreds of million and was reportedly used only at the opening and closing ceremonies, is presently undergoing more construction work in preparation for possibly hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The Fisht Olympic Stadium
In preparation the government will spend approximately £30 million partially removing the roof of the stadium so that it complies with FIFA regulations, The Moscow Times reported.
The Winter Olympics, which ran from 7 to 23 February last year, were reportedly the most expensive ever.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...tadiums-lie-empty-and-abandoned-10030814.html
Pictures show that few of the multi-million dollar stadiums are in use
ROSE TROUP BUCHANAN
Saturday 07 February 2015
A A A
Pictures have emerged showing the Sochi Olympics Winter Park standing empty and neglected just a year after Russian president Vladimir Putin pumped billions into the venue.
Many of the custom built stadiums, which cost an estimated $51 billion in total, now appear deserted and unused.
The companies that maintain the facilities are reportedly struggling to stay afloat as tourist numbers plummet.
Local journalist Alexander Valov pointed out that the Bolshoy Ice Dome, which cost the Russian taxpayer £197 million, requires a budget of £9,900 a day in upkeep.
“I think it is the same kind of interest people have as in the Museum of Corruption in the former residence of the [toppled] president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich,” he told the Mail Online.
READ MORE: DOES SOCHI SUIT BRITISH SKIERS?
OLYMPIC GAMES CHANGES: WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
The Fisht stadium, which cost hundreds of million and was reportedly used only at the opening and closing ceremonies, is presently undergoing more construction work in preparation for possibly hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
In preparation the government will spend approximately £30 million partially removing the roof of the stadium so that it complies with FIFA regulations, The Moscow Times reported.
The Winter Olympics, which ran from 7 to 23 February last year, were reportedly the most expensive ever.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...tadiums-lie-empty-and-abandoned-10030814.html