Russia's fast track to ruin
Here are the numbers that explain why the Russian economy is imploding in the face of a tumbling oil price and Western sanctions.
Oil and gas energy represents two thirds of exports of around $530bn (£339bn). Without them, Russia would have a massive deficit on its trade and financial dealings with the rest of the world - which is why Russia's central bank expects a capital outflow of well over $100bn this year and next.
And public expenditure is almost completely supported by energy-related revenues. In their absence, the government would be increasing its indebtedness by more than 10% a year, according to IMF data.
So the massive and unsustainable non-oil deficits in the public sector and trade explain why investors don't want to touch the rouble with even the longest barge pole.
And Western sanctions, imposed to punish Putin for his Ukraine adventure, make it all the harder for Russia's undersized non-oil economy to trade the country out of its mess.
Desperate government?
Little wonder then that the rouble has halved this year, more-or-less in line with the tumbling oil price.
That raises the spectre of rampant inflation - prices are already rising more than 9% a year on the backward-looking official measure.
And there is the twin nightmare of a fully fledged slump: Russia's central bank expects the economy to contract not far off 5% next year.
But even so the decision of Russia's central bank to raise its policy interest rate from 10.5% to 17% is eye-catching (ahem).
It might work to stem the rouble's fall. Then again it could reinforce investors' fears that the government is increasingly desperate and powerless in the face of a market tsunami.
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