A sudden surge in crude oil values yesterday brought about resurgence in a recently-weakened Russian ruble (RUS). The value of the RUS was brought down by strong dips in global stocks last week as traders sought the safety of more stable currencies. The US dollar (USD) was making strides against the RUS, but this week has seen the pair turning back in favor of the ruble.
Crude oil is the leading export earner for Russia, which makes its rise in price help lift the value of the ruble. The RUS, in turn, helps return investment interest to the Russian economy at a time when it needs to prove it can weather the financial storm of another global downturn.
With the price of oil holding steady above $86 a barrel, the RUS also climbed significantly against its primary basket of currencies. The RUS moved up over 0.2% against the USD and EUR towards 29.03 per dollar and 41.76 per euro. Talk of another round of quantitative easing by the US Federal Reserve has also caused many investors to bet on a sudden spike in oil values should the greenback become weakened. That predicted spike is also feeding into the ruble’s recent ascent.
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