Russian stocks can fall slightly on US stocks decrease

MOSCOW, Mar 2 (PRIME) -- The Russian stock market can open with a small downward gap on Friday because of a decline of U.S. stocks on Thursday in the evening, analysts said.

“In the first minutes of the session, the local market will reflect a deterioration of the external background last evening, reflected on a negative closing of the U.S. session,” Vitaly Manzhos, senior risk manager at investment company Nord Capital, said.

Oleg Shagov, head of investment company Solid’s research department, said that the external background for the opening of the Friday’s trading session in Russia is close to neutral as the U.S. stock market futures are mixed, Asian markets are mostly falling and the European premarket signals a decline later in the day.

The MOEX Russia index is expected to open close to the level of the end of the Thursday’s trading session, Shagov said.

The Moscow Exchange and Dixy will release their financials for 2017 on Friday, which can influence the quotations of Russian securities, Shagov said.

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