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Russia
Is the once mighty Russia on the rise again?Russia shares land borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and North Korea. It is also close to the U.S. state of Alaska. At 6,592,800 square miles, Russia is by far the largest country in the world, covering more than an eighth of the Earth’s land area; with 142 million people. It covers the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning 11 time zones. Russia is very rich in natural resources, as it has the world's largest mineral and energy deposits. It also has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's unfrozen fresh water. Russia established the world's first and largest Communist state. If you are above 50 you will have a good memory of the cold war that raged for 45 years between the Soviet Union and the USA. Since the year 2000, rising oil prices, increased foreign investment, higher domestic consumption and greater political stability have bolstered economic progress in Russia. The country ended 2007 with its ninth straight year of growth, averaging 7% annually since the financial crisis of 1998. It has the world's largest natural gas reserves, the second largest coal reserves and the eighth largest oil reserves. It is the world's leading natural gas exporter and the second leading oil exporter. Oil, natural gas, metals, and timber account for more than 80% of Russian exports. A more simplistic and streamlined tax code adopted in 2001 reduced the tax burden on people, and dramatically increased state revenue. Russia has a flat personal income tax rate of 13 percent. The federal budget has run surpluses since 2001 and ended 2007 with a surplus of 6% of GDP. Surprisingly, to me anyway, Russia has more higher education graduates than any other country in Europe. Over the last five years, poverty has declined steadily and the middle class has continued to expand. It is advisable for all investors to look closely at the opportunities available in Russia. They are rich in natural resources and it appears as if the economic future of this once great country is on its way up.
Russia Stock RecommendationsDisclaimer: I am not a registered investment advisor. Everything on this website is my opinion and put her for the enjoyment of my readers. I do not recommend making financial decisions based upon my opinions. I advocate doing your own research and making an informed decision. All information put forth on this website was obtained freely via the internet, radio and television. I do not have any contracts or deals with any financial newsletter of any kind. Income generated from this site is done through advertisements. I will always let my reader know if I hold any position on a recommendation I make. |