US applies financial sanctions on Putin, cronies

From the Associated Press: Increasing pressure on Russia for its incursion into Crimea, the U.S. on Thursday sanctioned some of President Vladimir Putin’s close friends and associates, members of his inner circle, government officials, some of the richest men in the country and a major bank. The latest punitive measures freeze any assets that those … Read more

Russian stocks fall sharply: Ratings downgrade looms; Visa, Mastercard withdraw

From the Associated Press: Russian stocks tumbled today as another credit rating agency put the country on notice of a possible downgrade and Visa and MasterCard stopped serving two Russian banks, a day after the U.S. ordered economic sanctions against two dozen people from President Vladimir Putin’s entourage. Fears over Russia’s economic outlook have ratcheted … Read more