November 1998

by Philip H. de Leon

The August 17 eruption of the financial crisis in Russia has triggered an increased need and demand for timely information on developments in Russia. Knowing where to get such information is a key asset for properly assessing the situation and evaluating the soundness of commercial projects and financial investments. A range of useful information is available on the World Wide Web or via e-mail.

Below is a selection of those resources that have proven to be useful in following the evolution of events in Russia. Some sources provide information for free, while others charge a fee. Resources that charge for access to information are indicated by an asterisk (*).

Exchange Rates

• Bloomberg: [www.bloomberg.com/markets/currency.html]
  
• Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange (MICEX): [www.micex.ru]
  

News Agencies

• Interfax News Agency: daily financial and business reports, weekly banking and finance report, and the Interfax-100, a list of the top 100 Russian banks. [www.interfax-news.com]*
  
• ITAR-TASS- Information-Telegraph Agency of Russia: text, photo and graphic information in Russian and English.
  [www.itar-tass.com/itar-tass.htm]*
  
• Novosti: Russian-language political, economic and legislative news. [www.novosti.ru]*
  
• Reuters: world news and market quotes from around the world. [www.reuters.com/news]*
  
• Russia Today: includes Reuters articles on Russia. [www.russiatoday.com]
  
• Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty: information not usually found in the printed media of other agencies. [www.rferl.org]
  
• Federal News Service: verbatim same-day transcripts of statements from Russian political and economic leaders. [www.fnsg.com]*
  

Rating Agencies
The following four rating agencies publish reports on the banking situation and fact sheets on major banks:

• Thomson BankWatch: [www.bankwatch.com]*
  
• Moody's: [www.moodys.com]*
  
• Standard & Poor's: [www.standardandpoors.com]*
  
• Fitch IBCA: [www.fitchibca.com]*
  

Professional Publications

• Russia Portfolio: events that have an impact on the Russian securities market. [www.gipinc.com]*
  
• Newsletters of investment banks are also very informative, e.g., SBC Warburg Dillon Read's publication on emerging markets or Alfa Capital's Daily Fix sent via e-mail. [www.wdr.com]*; [www.acapital.ru]*
  

Other Sources

• U.S. Embassy in Moscow: precise summaries of all economic and financial developments for the past week or two. [www.mac.doc.gov/bisnis/cables/cable.htm]
  
• American Chamber of Commerce in Russia: practical advice on how to conduct business and cope with the present crisis. [www.amcham.ru]
  
• Institute for EastWest Studies (IEWS): Russian Regional Report (RRR) gives a broad overview of what is happening in Russia's regions. [www.iews.org]*
  

For more information on developments in Russia, visit BISNIS OnLine at www.mac.doc.gov/bisnis/country/rusfed.htm.

Philip de Leon is the BISNIS Finance/Banking Specialist in Washington, D.C.

This report is provided courtesy of the Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States (BISNIS)