European Stocks
Trading on the Moscow exchange remained closed Thursday. Russia’s ruble lost another 15% against the U.S. dollar and is worth less than 1 cent. It has plunged since Western governments imposed sanctions that cut off much of Russia’s access to the global financial system.
The exposure and overlap that U.S. markets have to Russia is relatively low. The real risk is the exposure that European banks have to Russia, Young said.
“If European banks start to feel the contagion of that, then it’s about what’s our exposure to Europe, which surprisingly is still reasonably low,” she said. “That doesn’t mean there’s not sentiment risk. Nobody likes to hear about financial markets freezing up.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been the dominant issue for investors all week as they try to assess its global economic impact. Russia is a key oil producer and prices have been rising as global supplies remain threatened by the conflict, raising concerns that persistent inflation could become even hotter.
