EghtesadOnline: Russia’s economy expanded at the fastest pace in more than three years after exiting its longest recession this century, and analysts say the most likely driver is an old one -- consumer demand.

EghtesadOnline: As Russia hunkers down for “decades” of U.S. sanctions, the chill in geopolitics is threatening to turn into a deep freeze for an economy retooling after the crash in oil prices.

EghtesadOnline: Almost everybody loves Russia and wants to get as far away as possible from Turkey. That just about sums up investor sentiment toward the developing economies of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Money managers’ top calls for next year are centered on markets where the political climate is improving and assets are less vulnerable to external shocks arising from higher U.S. borrowing costs and President-elect Donald Trump’s policy announcements.

EghtesadOnline: As the U.S. and Europe try to isolate Russia with sanctions, Vladimir Putin just managed to oversee one of the biggest investments in the global energy industry this year.

EghtesadOnline: Russia’s economy returned to growth at the end of 2016, turning the page on seven consecutive quarters of contraction that laid waste to the middle class after oil prices crashed.