Positive global environment pushes Russian stocks higher

MOSCOW, Apr 12 (PRIME) -- The Russian stock market edged up on Friday backed by a favorable global environment and investors’ risk appetite, analysts said.

The MOEX Russia Index grew 0.32% to 2,559.72 and the RTS rose 0.66% to 1,253.44.

“The MOEX Russia and the RTS indices tried to hold in the positive territory thanks to an encouraging external background, but fell from the intraday highest after blue chips including (top bank Sberbank) and (gas giant) Gazprom’s rally stopped,” Veles Capital analysts said.

BCS Premier senior analyst Anton Pokatovich said that the positive environment in Russia was supported by investors’ risk appetite and crude prices fluctuating at several-month record highs.

The Brent oil price added more than 1% to above U.S. $71.5 per barrel. Most European stock exchanges and U.S. benchmarks were in the green territory.

Largest children goods retailer Detsky Mir added 0.23% to 87.90 rubles after its board of directors had recommended paying 4.45 rubles per common share, or a total of about 3.3 billion rubles, in final dividends for 2018.

Below are the MOEX Russia Index’s five most active stocks on Friday:

Company	Change, %	Last price, rbl	Trading volume, bln rbl
Sberbank	+0.27	239.5	23.085
Gazprom	+0.68	159.12	4.671
Lukoil	-0.53	5600	3.420
Norilsk Nickel	+1.32	14418	1.660
Rosneft	+0.35	432.5	1.632

(64.3991 rubles – U.S. $1)

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