The Russian Central Bank (CBR) today announced a cut of 25 basis points in its refinancing rate, bringing the rate down to 8.50%. The CBR hopes to stimulate growth in the economy with this monetary policy easing.
The strength of the rouble has been helping to keep inflation down and there is a small upside risk [...]

Today saw the rouble hit its strongest level of the year, closing in on the current boundary of the central bank's floating trading band on the back of higher oil prices and upcoming domestic tax payments.
Dealers have forecast that the regulator's boundary could be reached as early as tomorrow after the currency firmed as [...]

The Russian government’s finance ministry signaled on Friday that it was planning to continue financially supporting the Moscow region.
A statement from the ministry to journalists today suggested that more financial bailouts were on the cards for the indebted region, which was the greatest beneficiary of state financial aid in 2009.
The government has already spent 10 [...]

Russian energy giant Gazprom has revealed its profits surged 33 per cent between July and September 2009. Lower taxes and foreign exchange gains owing to a weakening of the rouble against the dollar have been credited with the rise.
Gazprom, which meets around a quarter of Europe's gas needs, said net profit for the third quarter [...]

Russia's largest mobile phone operator, which took advantage of a strong rouble and low global interest rates by borrowing aggressively abroad before the recession, has said it has no plans to change its debt level in 2010. MTR claims it is comfortable with its current burden of gross debt, which stands at 1.8 times OIBDA.
"We [...]

Investors have been uncertain about the long-term fate of the oil-driven rouble, but the International Monetary Fund said today that the Russian currency is set to strengthen quickly and solidly.
At a government conference on economic modernisation, the body's representatives claimed that "real appreciation puts strong emphasis on structural reforms".
Russia's central bank has been allowing for [...]

This week saw the rouble rocket to its biggest one-day gain against the dollar since March 1999 as stocks in Russia opened the trading year in Moscow with a bang. The Russian currency increased to 29.3045 per dollar, driven by positive economic news, investor enthusiasm for global markets and $80 oil.
Analysts have predicted, however, that [...]

As part of its aims to replenish some of the $200 billion in reserves spent in late 2008 and early 2009 to prop up the rouble, Russia is compiling a list of banks to help launch the country's first international bond in almost ten years.
Prompting analysts to herald one of the most high-profile emerging market [...]

As 2009 came to an end, Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin revealed plans for the country's government to move towards a floating rouble exchange rate. Chatting to reporters in Vladivostok, Putin suggested the economy is not currently ready for a free rouble float.
"We will not do anything to shake up the market," he confirmed, adding: [...]

The Russian unemployment rate rose to a four-month high in November, while retail sales fell 1.3 per cent from October. The latter marked the first monthly decline since April, though analysts note that the figures fell at a slower annual pace since a strong rouble made imports cheaper and stimulated household spending.
Further data from [...]