Ben Aris in Moscow
Thu, 11th Mar -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin appeared on telly at the start of March to call on Russians to buy a Russian-made car as the Kremlin's rescue plan for the beleaguered sector moves into high gear.

Matthew Day in Warsaw
Wed, 10th Mar -- Large parts of CEE appear to be sitting on one of the world's largest deposits of shale gas, and this has got the energy world excited. To quote one executive attending the "III CE Gas Summit 2010" in Warsaw in February: "It is a bit like discovering there's life on Mars."

Guy Norton in London
Mon, 8th Mar -- Veteran Russian fund management group Pharos Financial and Dubai-based agribusiness specialist Miro Asset Management have teamed up to launch the Pharos Miro Agriculture Fund to tap into the evolving agricultural investment theme.

Graham Stack in Kyiv
Thu, 4th Mar -- Ukraine and agriculture should be a no-brainer, given the country's large swathes of famously fertile soil and its close proximity to Europe. The problem is the institutions. The financial results published March 1 from London-listed Landkom reveal just how hostile an environment Ukraine can be for the unwary.

Iana Dreyer of the European Centre for International Political Economy
Wed, 3rd Mar -- There is a clear link between most CEE gas markets still being monopolies and Europe's vulnerability to decisions by Gazprom to turn off the gas tap. A few antitrust cases in the new member states would go a long way toward remedying this.

Brad Wells of Concorde Capital
Wed, 24th Feb -- Ukraine president-elect Yanukovych's actions immediately following his inauguration have the power to define his legacy as much as everything on his record to date, which includes the rigged 2004 presidential election in his favour and his chequered criminal past.

Nicholas Watson and Ben Aris
Thu, 25th Feb -- As Turkey's war between secularist and religious forces flares up again and at at least six more countries in the region go to the polls this year, political risk is back with a vengeance in 2010.

Clare Nuttall in Almaty
Mon, 22nd Feb -- 2010 is an important year for the Eurasian Development Bank, according to its chairman Igor Finogenov. The EDB plans to grow its investment portfolio by over 50% and take in new members, and is managing the Eurasian Economic Community's $10bn anti-crisis fund.

Ben Aris in Minsk
Tue, 23rd Feb -- Belarus is emerging as a European software powerhouse as leading international software developer EPAM moves most of its production to Minsk.

Guy Norton in London
Wed, 17th Feb -- After a hotly contested process involving more than 20 investment banks, the authorities in Moscow have mandated Barclays Capital, Citigroup, Credit Suisse and VTB Capital to lead manage Russia's return to the international bond markets after an absence of more than a decade.

Lucas Romriell of BG Capital
Wed, 24th Feb -- To read dispatches from the foreign press about Ukraine, you might come away with the impression that Ukraine is on the verge of splitting in two and descending into chaos before the week is out. While hysteria seems to dominate airwaves and media reports surrounding Ukraine's latest elections, investors seem to have taken a more sanguine view.

Oleksiy Blinov of Astrum Investment Management
Wed, 24th Feb -- After falling by an estimated 13.5% in 2009, Ukraine's economy has started its cautious climb back up.