MetaFilter posts tagged with Russia and oil

олигáрх

gman — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:17:51 -0800

Moscow is home to the largest number of billionaires and in Russia, there are nearly 100 billionaires. Due to recent economic developments and the drop in oil prices, the oligarchs, who rose to prominence under Gorbachev, have lost a combined total of $200 billion. Help is here.

oil tied economies - the gift that keeps giving

rough ashlar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 05:51:34 -0800

As many peoples eyes will be elsewhere the readers of the blue may not have seen the red flowing in the streets of Mother Russia. Russia’s two main bourses, RTS and MICEX, said on Wednesday they were suspending trade until further notice. How bad? Russian shares suffered their steepest one-day fall in more than a decade on Tuesday, losing up to 20 per cent, as a sharp slide in oil prices and difficult money market conditions triggered a rush to sell. Perhaps the Russian readers will keep the American's up to date with the list of Russian firms bailed out by the Russian government?

Did Vladimir Putin really turn around Russia's economy?

gregb1007 — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:34:30 -0800

Did Vladimir Putin really turn around Russia's economy? Washington Post's Fred Hyatt attempts to refute the conventional wisdom that Putin was responsible for Russia's turnaround from the economic instability of the "disastrous" 90s by offering a thorough counter argument to prove that Putin's effect on the economy was just the reverse. Hyatt believes that Russia's astonishing economic recovery should not be credited to Putin, but in fact to the fiscal solvency brought about by the reforms that were carried out in the late 90s by Yeltsin's prime minister Yevgeny Primakov.*1. Furthermore, he argues that Putin's crackdown on the free press and on independent businesses has had a disastrous impact on the economy by discouraging foreign investment. The result was stalled economic growth whose rate has dropped far behind that of the other former Soviet republics despite enormous growth in oil revenues. *2 *Primakov served as Yeltsin's prime minister in 1998-1999. *Russia's rate of growth used to be the 2nd best out of all former 15 Soviet republics when Putin took power in 2000, but dropped to 13th best by 2005. It can be argued that the Russian economy grew under Putin, but the rate of growth was highest just when he came to power and that his rule had the effect of dampening it.

Apocalypse, Schmapocalypse

digaman — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 09:24:47 -0800

Global warming -- the upside: the entrepreneurs poised to make millions from new ports and shipping lanes in the formerly ice-bound Arctic circle. A fascinating New York Times article on the international land-grab following the news (reported here, discussed here, whitewashed here, et. al.) that the polar ice caps and Siberian permafrost are melting. Goodbye Gulf Stream, hello Club Med Santa-style -- first SUV to the North Pole wins!

what

poodlemouthe — Fri, 10 Oct 2003 00:18:26 -0800

Russia to price oil in euros

Shane — Fri, 30 Aug 2002 14:36:17 -0800

Russia to Sign Oil Deal with Iraq. We saw this coming (right?) But is the timing significant?

electro — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 18:22:10 -0800

According to this editorial, the Russians have outmaneuvered the US oil interests by encouraging the Northern Alliance to take Kabul. "The alliance is now Afghanistan's dominant force and, heedless of multi-party political talks in Germany going on this week, styles itself as the new "lawful" government, a claim fully backed by Moscow."