Chart Of The Day: After Recent Selloff Is The Russian Ruble Still Headed Lower?

 | Feb 22, 2022 14:31

For many, today's news of an escalation in tensions in Eastern Europe after Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, ordered troops to move into Ukraine would certainly appear to make the case for an ongoing slump in the Russian ruble. So shorting the currency now would be a smart move, right? Not in our view.

The politics surrounding today's developments have been in play for a while. Though the UN strongly condemned Russia late yesterday in New York for the troop deployment, the US had already imposed some sanctions on the separatist regions of Ukraine that Putin yesterday 'recognized' as 'independent states.' Furthermore, the White House has indicated that additional harsher measures by the US and its Western European allies will be announced later Tuesday.

As well, since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Russian ruble has been tumbling. The most recent geopolitical developments have pressured the currency to historically low levels against the dollar.

But while the news of a possible all-out war might suggest further weakness for the Russian currency, we believe any concessions Russia might make going forward could be considered bullish for its currency. Longer term technicals are confirming that view.