Weekly Geopolitical Report – What’s Putin up to? (August 29, 2016)

by Bill O’Grady

Over the past few months, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been unusually active on multiple fronts.  He has expanded his military operations in the Middle East in support of Syrian President Assad, boosted troop strength on the Ukrainian border and conducted a major purge and restructuring of the Russian government.  He has also accused Ukraine of terrorist activity in Crimea, which he seized in 2014.

In this report, we will offer a short recap of Putin’s recent activities.  To create context for these moves, we will discuss how these actions fit into Putin’s hold on power.  As always, we will conclude with potential market ramifications.

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