EVERYTHING IS GOING SWIMMINGLY FOR VLAD: Russian ruble plunges nearly 30% against the dollar amid sanctions over Ukraine invasion.

But beware: Sanctions Expert Warns of Global Economic Instability From Sanctions. “The unprecedented intensity and breadth of Western sanctions on Russia raise concerns about the overall effect on the global economy and the potential for escalation by Russia, a U.S. sanctions expert said. . . . The U.S. and its allies have banned trading in the debt of the Russia’s government and some its largest banks, prohibited sale of key technologies, and cut off its largest banks from the international bank messaging service Swift while allowing provisions for energy-related transactions to continue. They also took the rare step of sanctioning some transactions with the Central Bank of Russia. That will impair the central bank’s ability to defend the Russian currency, the ruble, which has fallen sharply since the invasion began. Europe has also banned Russian private and commercial airlines from its airspace. The weekend developments have already caused the ruble to plunge and U.S. stock-market futures to decline.”