The Bank of Russia unexpectedly maintained its key interest rate at a record-high 21% , defying analysts’ expectations of another significant hike as inflation remains stubbornly elevated. The decision marks a shift toward a more measured approach in balancing economic growth and price stability. Key Details Inflation Concerns: Annual inflation climbed to 8.9% in November, well above the central bank’s 4% target , with inflation expectations reaching 13.9% in December. Policy Rationale: The central bank cited the significant tightening of monetary conditions after October’s 200-basis point hike as sufficient to resume disinflationary processes. Governor Elvira Nabiullina emphasized avoiding both economic overheating and severe slowdowns. Economic Overheating: Elevated government spending on the war in Ukraine and social programs, coupled with labor shortages and rising wages, have fueled strong domestic demand, exacerbating price pressures...
I have read an interesting article regarding Malaysian investors are not very smart. There are other similar kind of surveys and articles that seem to show that Malaysians especially the Gen Y-ers are shying away from equities investment and prefer to hold cash than any other investment assets. Below are the whole article taken from Free Malaysia Today - Our Investors Are Not Very Smart, by Scott Ng. Only 2% of Malaysian investors are able to answer survey questions. PETALING JAYA: Malaysian investors are not as smart as they think they are. A survey has painted a dismal picture, saying our investors lack financial literacy. The survey found that out of all the Malaysian participants in the survey, only 2% were capable of answering the five questions posed to them in the survey. This is in comparison with Singapore’s 20% and an 11% overall for all participants. The latest Manulife Investor Sentiment Index in Asia (Manulife ISI) is based on 3,500 interviews across seven As...