A NEW DESIGN FOR THE 100-RUBLE NOTE?
THE EYE OF SAURON IS OVER MOSCOW...
...and the Russian Orthodox Church is not happy about it.
MORNING OIL & RUBLE UPDATE
Good morning. It's 8:25 a.m. in Prague. Brent Crude is selling at $66.18 a barrel. The ruble is trading at 54.18 to the U.S. dollar and 67.13 to the euro.
Follow it all in real time, and enjoy the zen vibes at zenrus.ru.
GIVE 'EM HELL ROBERT!
Watch my good friend Robert Pshel, NATO's representative in Moscow, give as good as he gets in a verbal showdown on Russia's state-run Channel One:
WELL, THAT WORKED OUT WELL...
At first, the Russian Central Bank's decision to raise its benchmark interest rate to an eye-popping 17 percent, the ruble firmed up in early morning trading.
But by mid-morning, it was plunging again to new lows. It is currently floating around 66 to the U.S. dollar and 82 to the euro.
Brent Crude, meanwhile, has dipped below $60 a barrel.
Looks like it's going to be a long day...
THE POWER VERTICAL FEED WILL BE LIVE BLOGGING PUTIN'S PRESS CONFERENCE -- STAY TUNED
Oh no...
HOW WILL THE RUBLE REACT?
Here are the rates at the start:
U.S. Dollar: 60.19
Euro: 74.54
Putin begins by talking about low unemployment and "record harvest."