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Bailout Nation, Soviet Style: Russian Trading Halt

The criminal enterprise, formerly known as Russia, has decided to halt trading. With its stock market down 57%, Putin & Co. are being even more risk averse than Paulson, Bernanke, et.al. & Co.

"Russian markets stopped trading for a second day after emergency funding measures by the government failed to halt the biggest stock rout since the country's debt default and currency devaluation a decade ago.

The ruble-denominated Micex Stock Exchange suspended trading indefinitely at 12:10 p.m. after its index erased a 7.6 percent gain and plunged as much as 10 percent within an hour. The benchmark fell 17 percent yesterday, the biggest drop since Bloomberg started tracking the gauge in May 2001. The dollar- denominated RTS halted trading after similar declines.

The government yesterday injected $20 billion into the interbank lending market via central bank and Finance Ministry auctions in a bid to contain soaring borrowing rates as credit dried up in the wake of the Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. bankruptcy. The one-day MosPrime overnight rate, a gauge for monitoring liquidity demand, leapt 25 basis points to a record 11.08 percent today."

Here in the US, we may be well meaning interventionists Socialists -- but at least our markets are open !

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Source:
Russian Markets Halted as Emergency Funding Fails to Halt Rout
Alex Nicholson and William Mauldin 
Bloomberg, Sept. 17 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aIRza4.azeC4

Wednesday, September 17, 2008 | 09:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (51) | TrackBack (0)
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Comments

BR:Surely the bigger question is why anyone, anyone, would invest a cent in this place. But the reality is plenty in the west line up to do so.

Posted by: John(2) | Sep 17, 2008 9:45:40 AM