The ruble headed for the strongest weekly currency rally worldwide and Russian stocks surged as oil climbed and investors wagered Ukraine talks in Moscow on Friday will ease the crisis. The currency of the world’s biggest energy exporter is shaking off its weakness at the start of the year after crude oil rebounded 27 percent from a Jan. 13 low. Oil’s earlier slump and sanctions over Ukraine have dragged the economy toward its first contraction since 2009. Talks between President Vladimir Putin and his German and French counterparts fueled bets spreading bloodshed in Ukraine can be staunched. The negotiations encourage “cautious optimism,” Tom Levinson, foreign exchange and interest rates strategist at Sberbank CIB in Moscow, said in e-mailed comments. “While Ukraine-related risks seem as great as ever, the ruble has this week been underpinned by a 15 percent rise in oil prices.” The ruble advanced 1.1 percent […]