Interview with Chris Weafer, CEO of Macro-Advisory.

Published: April 1, 2021.

Suez Canal Blockage Strengthens Arguments for Nord Stream 2, Northern Sea Route – Analyst

MOSCOW, April 1 (Sputnik), Jonathan Rowson – The recent blockage of the Suez Canal after the Ever Given container ship ran aground has strengthened arguments in support of Russia’s Northern Sea Route, as well as Russian gas pipelines, such as TurkStream and the under-construction Nord Stream 2 project, Chris Weafer, co-founder of the Macro-Advisory analytics firm, told Sputnik in an interview.

The Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal on March 23 and was wedged across the waterway for six days, holding up roughly $9.6 billion worth of goods each day, before it was eventually refloated.

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World Bank’s ‘Optimism’ in Russian Economy With New GDP Forecast Justified – Analyst

MOSCOW, April 1 (Sputnik), Jonathan Rowson – The World Bank’s “optimism” in the Russian economy, as shown by the organization’s decision to upgrade Russia’s GDP forecast in 2021, is justified given current oil price dynamics, the country’s low COVID-19 infection rate, and the government’s commitment to large-scale investment, Chris Weafer, co-founder of the Macro-Advisory analytics firm, told Sputnik.

In a fresh report published on Tuesday, the World Bank said that it expects Russia’s GDP to grow 2.9 percent in 2021, a slight increase from the 2.6 percent rise predicted this past December. The organization said that Russia may not meet this target if it experiences a third COVID-19 wave or is hit by harsh new sanctions.