At the Right Price, Investors Tumble toward Russian Stocks

Despite all the harrowing experiences of political risk and Russian government intervention from Yukos to Hermitage, investors keep coming back for more beatings.  It’s not difficult to understand why:  ever since awakening from the holiday slumber, the ruble made its biggest one-day gain against the dollar this week, while portfolio managers from HSBC are expecting around a “15 to 20 percent return in 2010” from Russia stocks.  It’s pretty hard to remember murdered lawyers, human rights, and stolen companies when the Street sees those figures.