Russian stocks almost flat on no drivers, Christmas Eve calm

MOSCOW, Dec 24 (PRIME) -- The Russian stock market closed with a negligible decrease on Friday on no external drivers amid calm on most platforms before Christmas, analysts said. 

The MOEX Russia Index fell 0.05% to 3,702.72 and the RTS decreased 0.23% to 1,584.15.

The Russian market lost its optimism at the end of the week, closing in the red zone, Maxim Kondratyev of Sber Asset Management said.

The market showed a slight decline with almost total absence of external background, as most of the platforms in the U.S. and Europe were closed on Christmas Eve, Bogdan Zvarich said.

According to Yegor Zhilnikov of PSB Bank, the Russian market was also under pressure due to a pullback in natural gas prices, which fell for the second consecutive day hitting historical highs in the middle of the week.

The financial sector performed poorly, failing to maintain the growth seen at the beginning of the week, and the oil and gas sector was mostly suppressed by the falling prices on gas, Zhilnikov said.

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

Company	Change, %	Last price, rbl	Trading volume, bln rbl
Gazprom	-0.17	339.24	11.931
Sberbank	+0.36	293.85	10.206
Lukoil	+0.37	6,328	2.278
Yandex	+0.87	4,449	2.155
Norilsk Nickel	-0.28	21,810	2.146

(73.3583 rubles – U.S. $1)

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