Russian stocks are soaring – but don’t buy in

Buoyed by a strong oil price, Russian stocks have almost tripled from their lows of early 2009. But that doesn't mean you should buy them, says Matthew Partridge.

It's like the Cold War never ended. If Russia isn't propping up Syria or Iran, then ex-KGB spy (and de facto leader) Vladimir Putin is cracking down on protests at home.

Yet high oil prices mean the Russian economy looks strong. While growth in the UK and Europe looks set to be negative for this year, Capital Economics believes that Russian GDP could expand by 3%.

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Dr Matthew Partridge
Shares editor, MoneyWeek

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri