Russian pundit toasts ‘death of stockmarket’ live on TV in front of stunned presenter
Economist bids farewell as Moscow Exchange stays shut fourth day running
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An economic analyst on Russian TV drank to the “death” of the country's stock market in front of a shocked presenter.
Russian stocks listed on Moscow’s Moex index suffered the biggest fall on record the day after the invasion of Ukraine began last week, dropping by more than 35 per cent, while the ruble plummeted to a record low against the dollar.
Trading was suspended on the Moscow Exchange for the fourth day in a row on Thursday. Other stock markets have suspended trading in Russian shares.
Russia’s ruble has dropped a further 15 per cent against the US dollar and is now worth less than 1 cent. It has plunged since Western governments imposed sanctions that cut off much of Russia’s access to the global financial system after Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine.
Alexander Butmanov, a Russian economist, was appearing on Russian news network RBC to discuss the fate of the domestic stock market.
Asked on live TV if exchange strategies were outdated and if he hope to stay in the field, he replied: “Worst case I'll work as Santa Claus as I did 25 years ago. Jokes aside, let me do this real quick.”
The stocks expert produced a bottle and said: “Sending my regards to Sergey Usychenko who drank 12, 13 years ago because of the death of the stock market.
“Today I drink carbonated water.”
He went on: “Dear stock market, you've been close to us and interesting. Rest in peace dear friend.”
Looking on unblinking, the presenter said: “I won't comment on this stunt because I don't want to believe in this.”
The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered.
To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments