Benchmark
Can Russia Be More Miserable? Judging by Oil, the Answer Is Yes
Combining inflation and unemployment, Russia is among the world's unhappiest economies
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The sinking price of crude has Russia hostage over a barrel of oil.
For an inkling of how unhappy everyday Russians have gotten as Brent crude heads further south, take a look at the Misery Index — the sum of unemployment and inflation rates. It has surged to 19 percent from 11.7 percent in February 2014 to place the world's second-biggest oil producer among the world's gloomiest economies.