News Snapshot:
The Russian rouble surged to a more than two-month high against the dollar on Thursday, while geopolitical headwinds halted a tentative recovery on stock markets as President Vladimir Putin prepared to annex four Ukrainian territories. Putin will on Friday begin formally annexing 15% of Ukrainian territory, presiding at a ceremony in the Kremlin to declare the regions part of Russia following referendums that Ukraine and the West have rejected as illegitimate. By 1217 GMT, the rouble was 0.9% stronger against the dollar at 57.00, earlier hitting 56.5450, its strongest point since July 22. The Russian currency had gained 0.4% to...
