MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian shares picked up on Tuesday as investors held out hope for an easing of the crisis in Ukraine after Moscow ordered troops on exercise in western Russia back to base.
The mood was noticeably calmer after panic selling on Monday when escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia had triggered double-digit losses in Moscow's main stock indexes and forced the central bank to unexpectedly raise interest rates - by a hefty 150 basis points - and burn its way through as much as $12 billion (7 billion pounds) of reserves to prop up the rouble.