The ruble gained for a fifth day as Chinese economic data improved and a Russian proposal for Syria to surrender its chemical weapons eased concern over a U.S. strike, boosting investor appetite for riskier assets. Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg ©Bloomberg Russia’s central bank has raised its key interest rate by 150 basis points to 9.5 per cent in an attempt to stem the steady weakening of the rouble in the face of international sanctions and the crisis in Ukraine. The rouble has plunged 23 per cent against the dollar since the start of the year, losing 9 per cent against the US currency in the past three weeks. On Thursday the rouble fell to 55 against the euro, a record low for the Russian currency. More On this […]