Indeed rather than a dramatically overvalued ruble, which is what would happen if Russia were suffering from Dutch Disease, the most dramatic threat facing Russia in 2012 is that, as global growth retreats and prices for naturalresourcesdecline, the value of the ruble will stumble even further and require costly Central Bank interventions to prevent a panicky devaluation.
Many coal companies such as Alpha NaturalResources and Peabody Energy Corporation are mulling over the fate of coal as consumption has continued to decline in the U.S.. Natural gas has undoubtedly given coal companies a run for their money since prices began to slide last year.