The Russian currency has posted strong gains against the US dollar and has outshined gold, data shows

The Russian ruble has emerged as the world's top-performing currency this year, outpacing even gold, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing calculations based on over-the-counter market data.

The ruble has surged 38% against the US dollar, marking the strongest gains of any currency so far this year. It has also outperformed gold - long seen as a safe-haven asset - which has risen 23% to record highs since January.

Analysts cited a combination of geopolitical developments and monetary policy decisions by the Bank of Russia as key drivers of the ruble's performance.

"Unlike many emerging-market currencies, the ruble is not facing pressure from capital outflow, caused by global investors' retreat from riskier assets," Sofya Donets, an economist at T-Investments, told Bloomberg, noting that capital controls "have largely shielded Russia from this."

Other economists pointed to high borrowing costs. In October, the Bank of Russia hiked its benchmark interest rate to a record 21% to curb inflation and has held it steady since. Experts said the move dampened demand for imports, and by extension, foreign currency. Meanwhile, regulations requiring exporters to convert a portion of their foreign earnings into rubles, a measure introduced in response to Western sanctions, have further strengthened the currency, they noted.

Analysts also cited improved US-Russia relations, spurred by joint efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict, as boosting foreign investor interest in Russian markets and the ruble. Iskander Lutsko, the head of research at Istar Capital, said international investors are increasingly turning to countries that maintain ties with Moscow to access high-yielding ruble assets. He also predicted that the conditions currently boosting the ruble are likely to persist for some time.

"There are no clear drivers for the ruble's weakening at this stage with a rate cut off the table for the upcoming quarter," Lutsko said.

The ruble rally comes amid a weakening of the US dollar, which hit a six-month low on Monday following tariff hikes announced by Washington. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump introduced "reciprocal" tariffs on nearly 90 trade partners, citing unfair trade practices.

While Trump paused most of the new tariffs for 90 days, except on China, global financial markets have taken a beating as a result. Economists say the US president's actions have shaken investor faith in US assets and cast doubt on the dollar and Treasuries as reliable safe havens. The ruble, however, has been relatively immune to the tariff war, as Russia has not been targeted.

(RT.com)