Make no mistake the world is currently engaged in a financial war and the ruble collapse is just one battle. The 2008 Great Financial Crisis ushered in a new currency war that has morphed into a financial market war, with oil as the weapon of choice.

I am not trying to be a fear monger, I am simply pointing out what is occurring in the financial markets. In the beginning, a financial war seems like a no-brainer, i.e., use financial might to damage your enemy’s economy. The flaw in this logic is it assumes no impact on the economy of the attacker. In the age of open economies investors are correct to be concerned about the collateral damage.

he latest battle in this financial war is the engineered drop in oil and subsequent collapse of the Russian ruble. Now that this battle has been waged investors need to know what/where the next battlefield may be.

order to answer this question we need to understand what has transpired over the last few days. Many have been shocked by the lack of intervention by the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) in the days leading up to the currency collapse. Implicitly or explicitly, it appears Russian President Vladimir Putin has allowed a raid on the central bank currency reserves to benefit the oligarchs and state owned corporations. These corporations have issued debt in rubles and either immediately converted into US dollars or have used the debt as collateral at the CBR. The CBR had a choice to defend the ruble and give its foreign currency reserves to speculators or give those reserves to the state owned corporations. The lack of serious currency intervention suggests the CBR has chosen the latter.

The economic impact of this decision is likely to be felt by Russian citizens as they encounter double-digit inflation. If Putin does not handle the internal situation correctly then Russia could face social unrest which may threaten Putin’s leadership. Therefore, Putin’s next move will define the next battle in the global financial war. The leading battlefield candidates are the wheat market, U.S. Treasurys and Gold.

The currency collapse could accelerate Russian aggression in Ukraine. In my view, the purpose of the invasion has always been to control the port cities along the Black Sea. Since roughly 30 percent of the global wheat supply moves through these ports, control gives Putin a formidable economic weapon. Since further aggression risks more economic sanctions it is unclear if this is the most probable move.

Read  more here  : http://www.cnbc.com/id/102285208

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