“The Russian economy is at its strongest in years,” says Anna Hirtenstein in The Wall Street Journal. A “gusher of gas and oil revenues” has helped make the rouble one of the few emerging market currencies to hold its own against the dollar over the past year. Russia only needs oil prices of $40 a barrel to break even; this week Brent crude was trading at $83 a barrel. Soaring European gas prices help fill the coffers. Yet while Western oil majors rally, shares in state-controlled Gazprom are being left behind. “Geopolitics, not economics, are driving Russian markets.”
Certainly, intrepid bargain-hunters will find much to like in Russia, says Danil Kolyako on Seeking Alpha. The oil market looks likely to remain tight in 2022 and Russian stocks boast some of the most eye-catching dividend yields in the world. “The majority of Russian dividend-paying stocks are going to deliver dividend yields ranging mainly from 9% to 15% in 2021 and 2022.” That partly reflects strong commodity prices, but also the fact that with local interest rates at 8.5% – the result of “hardcore monetary policy” – dividends need to keep up.
Russian markets look “extraordinarily cheap”, agrees Paul McNamara of asset manager GAM. “Ukraine is the issue.” Despite being “the toast of emerging markets” for much of 2021, stocks have fallen 11% since October as Russian troops mass on its neighbour’s border and investors become wary, say Alexander Sazonov and Anna Andrianova on Bloomberg. If Russia were to invade Ukraine, the resulting sanctions would make it “impossible to know what you can and can’t do”, rendering the country “uninvestable”, says Elena Loven of Swedbank Robur Fonder, a Swedish asset manager that currently has investments in Russia. “If it invades Ukraine, Russia would disappear as an asset class.”
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
-
Barclays begins paying up to £100 compensation to customers after banking outageBarclays will pay up to £7.5 million in compensation to customers after its banking services were disrupted by an IT outage
-
Review: Shangri-La Paris – an ode to the world’s best foodNatasha Langan enjoys fine French and Chinese cuisine at the Shangri-La Paris
-
Falling revenues and mounting debt spell trouble for Jumia TechnologiesStruggling African e-commerce platform Jumia Technologies looks headed for the exit, says Dr Matthew Partridge.
-
Next reports £1 billion in annual profits for the first time – what's next for the retailer?Clothing retailer Next has become only the fourth member of its sector to surpass £1 billion in annual profits. What does this mean for the company's future?
-
Best of British bargains: cash in on undervalued companies in the UK stock marketOpinion Michael Field, Chief Equity Market Strategist, EMEA, Morningstar, selects three attractive UK stocks where he'd put his money
-
Building firm Keller presents low debt and ample scope for growthGeotechnical contractor Keller, which supports vital global infrastructure, boasts rising profits and a cheap valuation
-
PZ Cussons share price down 75% in last decade – why it's one to watchOpinion Once-strong consumer-goods business PZ Cussons is out of favour with the market. That spells opportunity for investors, says Jamie Ward
-
Cash in on the biotech sector with specialist trust BioPharmaOpinion BioPharma has an attractive niche in lending to asset-rich biotechnology companies
-
India's stock market decline wipes out $1.3 trillion in market value – can investors stay optimistic?More than $1 trillion has been wiped off from India's stock market after investors turn to China. Has the emerging-market darling hit rock bottom?
-
Pensions revolution: how to profit from the trends shaping the UK pension systemThe UK pension system is one of the biggest in the world. Big changes are under way, says Rupert Hargreaves
