EU Threatens Russia, Greece Pivots to Russia as War in Ukraine Intensifies
Politics / Ukraine Civil War Jan 29, 2015 - 10:39 AM GMTEU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels today to discuss imposing further sanctions on Russia following an upsurge in fighting in east Ukraine.
A new poll shows 80 percent of Russians would give up Western food for a stronger economy. Reuters
The EU and the US have already imposed sanctions on Russia and slapped asset freezes and travel bans on Russian individuals and businesses.
NATO says hundreds of Russian tanks and armoured vehicles are in east Ukraine. Moscow denies direct involvement but says some Russian volunteers are fighting alongside the rebels.
Greek’s new Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and a leader of the country’s radical left-wing anti-austerity party, has indicated dissatisfaction with the sanctions posed on Russia. Russia and Greece have a history of good relations and shared culture. The opposition of EU sanctions by Tsipras may lead to the strengthening of the relationship between the two countries and spells trouble for further sanctions that are to be decided in the weeks ahead.
Tensions between Russia and the West are intensifying. President Obama’s suggestion that Russia would be cut out of the SWIFT banking transfer system was met with a degree of hostility and threatening words that has not been customary of the Russian government.
Prime Minister Medvedev warned that the “Russian response – economically and otherwise – will know no limits.”
The EU‘s push for further sanctions on Russia may be imprudent and only help ‘bait the bear’. Measures under discussion include asset freezes, travel restrictions on certain Russian individuals, and restricted access to capital markets.
The consequences of such a move could be dire. China have made it clear that it can provide liquidity to Russia if necessary, an offer the Russians have not felt the need to avail of as yet. Russia still sits on vast dollar reserves which it could dump on the market and buy Chinese yuan and other allied nations fiat currencies and indeed precious metals such as gold and palladium.
Or Russia could choose to cut off natural gas to Europe causing a crisis for homes and industry across Europe and paralysing industry and agriculture in already struggling periphery economies.
The war in Ukraine, in which 5000 people have already died, is growing in scope and intensity.
At some point Russia may directly enter the conflict – which it would justify given that the ethnically Russian people of Donetsk voted to secede from Ukraine following the overthrow of democratically elected, albeit corrupt, President Yanukovych.
Moscow’s intervention in Ukraine and its continued support for rebels in the east of the country is not “not a wise course for Russia”, former UK foreign secretary and leading government politician William Hague has told CNBC.
“If Russia continues on this course of the last few days there will be a further grave deterioration in relations between the European Union and Russia,” Hague who is close to NATO told CNBC’s Worldwide Exchange.
The risks now fomenting in Greece as well the escalating tensions with Russia, along with the tacit admission that the EU is already in serious crisis by initiating emergency QE measures, mean that that the risk of banking contagion and collapse, economic collapse and currency collapse are real threats.
Bail-ins of deposits remain a real possibility.
In the event of any and all of these possibilities gold and silver bullion will perform well as a currency of last resort.
Comprehensive Guide to Bail-ins: Protecting Your Savings in the Coming Bail-in Era
MARKET UPDATE
Today’s AM fix was USD 1.275.50, EUR 1,129.36 and GBP 842.25 per ounce.
Yesterday’s AM fix was USD 1,287, EUR 1,131.93 and GBP 846.71 per ounce.
Gold and silver both dropped yesterday. Gold lost 0.76% or $9.80, closing at $1,284.90/oz. Silver fell 0.55% or $0.1 and closed at $17.99/oz.
Gold Performance since 2006 and in 2015
In Singapore, gold for immediate delivery fell by 0.5 per cent to USD 1,278.27 an ounce and silver by 0.9 per cent to USD 17.84 an ounce and that weakness continued in European trading.
On the wider markets this morning, European shares are down 0.7% on concerns about the health of the Eurozone economy and risks of a new crisis.
Global economic growth concerns pushed stock markets lower in Asia overnight. Non-gold safe haven assets such as German bund futures rose sharply, mirroring an earlier move in U.S. Treasuries.
Greek Prime Minister Tsipras challenged to international creditors by halting privatisation plans agreed under the country’s bank bailout deal, prompting a third day of heavy losses on financial markets in Greece.
The U.S. Federal Reserve remains remarkably sanguine on the U.S. economy and signalled that it remains firmly on track to raise interest rates this year, despite an uncertain global outlook. As ever, we prefer to watch what the Fed actually does rather than what it says it will do.
This update can be found on the GoldCore blog here.
Yours sincerely,
Mark O'Byrne
Exective Director
IRL |
UK |
IRL +353 (0)1 632 5010 |
WINNERS MoneyMate and Investor Magazine Financial Analysts 2006
Disclaimer: The information in this document has been obtained from sources, which we believe to be reliable. We cannot guarantee its accuracy or completeness. It does not constitute a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any investment. Any person acting on the information contained in this document does so at their own risk. Recommendations in this document may not be suitable for all investors. Individual circumstances should be considered before a decision to invest is taken. Investors should note the following: Past experience is not necessarily a guide to future performance. The value of investments may fall or rise against investors' interests. Income levels from investments may fluctuate. Changes in exchange rates may have an adverse effect on the value of, or income from, investments denominated in foreign currencies. GoldCore Limited, trading as GoldCore is a Multi-Agency Intermediary regulated by the Irish Financial Regulator.
GoldCore is committed to complying with the requirements of the Data Protection Act. This means that in the provision of our services, appropriate personal information is processed and kept securely. It also means that we will never sell your details to a third party. The information you provide will remain confidential and may be used for the provision of related services. Such information may be disclosed in confidence to agents or service providers, regulatory bodies and group companies. You have the right to ask for a copy of certain information held by us in our records in return for payment of a small fee. You also have the right to require us to correct any inaccuracies in your information. The details you are being asked to supply may be used to provide you with information about other products and services either from GoldCore or other group companies or to provide services which any member of the group has arranged for you with a third party. If you do not wish to receive such contact, please write to the Marketing Manager GoldCore, 63 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2 marking the envelope 'data protection'
GoldCore Archive |
© 2005-2022 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.