Mutiny Sends Ruble to Lowest in 15 Months Mutiny Sends Ruble to Lowest in 15 Months
In one of the most turbulent trading sessions this year, the Russian ruble reached its lowest point against the US dollar in nearly 15 months on Monday. This decline followed the failed mutiny attempt by The Wagner group’s armed mercenaries over the weekend, which caused significant concern among traders. Initially catapulting to approximately 87 rubles per US dollar, the ruble later recovered some of its losses, settling at around 84.40, down 0.90% against the greenback.
The Wagner group, led by troops loyal to their leader, made an unexpected advancement toward Moscow, covering hundreds of miles before eventually reversing course. In a deal struck with the Kremlin, it is reported that the group's leader, Prigozhin, will go into exile in Belarus. This incident is regarded as the most significant challenge to Vladimir Putin's rule and could weaken his leadership.
The armed uprising also caused volatility in other markets. The international benchmark, Brent crude, rose by 0.8% to approximately $74 per barrel. The trading volume between the Russian ruble and Tether's USDT nearly quadrupled from $4 million on Saturday to $15 million on Sunday.
In other developments, the Japanese yen strengthened by 0.11% against the US dollar, trading at 143.50 per dollar. Vice Finance Minister for International Affairs, Masato Kanda, stated that Japan was not ruling out intervening in the currency markets again. He expressed concerns about the yen's rapid and one-sided depreciation against the dollar. Japan previously intervened in the foreign exchange markets in September and October of the previous year when the yen hit a 32-year low of nearly 152 per dollar.
