Russian stocks can fall as hopes for US–China conflict ease vanish

MOSCOW, Sep 17 (PRIME) -- The Russian stock market will likely open with a small downward gap on Monday as investors’ hopes over easing of the U.S.–China trade conflict have given way to new worries, analysts said.

“The Russian stock market saw a quite active trading week (last week) and it is not ruled out that a new September’s five-day period will start with a small decline of the key indices,” Anna Bodrova, senior analyst at Alpari, said.

Anton Startsev, a senior analyst at investment company Olma, said that investors’ optimism over a possible solution of the U.S.–China trade crisis faded after a report by The Wall Street Journal that President Donald Trump plans to slap duty on U.S. $200 billion Chinese goods early this week, or before the start of the negotiations.

Bodrova said that as a result, the MOEX Russia Index can open with a 0.1–0.2% downward gap. The index can later consolidate at about 2,350–2,365. Startsev said that the RTS index rise can be suspended as the index has reached a resistance level.

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