Russian stocks close flat on falling oil, rising European markets
MOSCOW, Aug 12 (PRIME) -- The Russian stock market closed with marginal changes on Thursday as the oil prices decreased and the European markets rose, analysts said.
The MOEX Russia Index firmed by 0.30% to 3,888.86, and the RTS Index edged up by 0.57% to 1,665.56.
"The Russian stock market indices remained in the green zone by the middle of the session in spite of the mixed external signals," Veles Capital analyst Yelena Kozhukhova said.
Brent and the WTI futures lost about 0.5% on the back of higher production reported by OPEC and the International Energy Agency (IEA) and deterioration of the pandemic in China, she said.
The Euro Stoxx 50 rose by 0.4% and the U.S. markets were neutral before opening on moderately positive statistics, Kozhukhova said.
Andrei Kochetkov, leading analyst for global research at Otkritie Broker, said that Russian annual inflation approached 6.3% prompting the market to expect the end of the central bank's monetary toughening, and this expectation supported the market.
According to Kochetkov, the retail sector and the oil and gas sector index were the market gain leaders, while the finance and transport were among the weaker companies.
Fix Price gained most in the retail sector, rising 2.65% after publishing a strong financial report for January–June, and X5 Retail group grew only 0.35% in spite of a promising report for April–June, he said.
Below are the MOEX Russia Index’ five most active stocks on Thursday:
| Company | Change, % | Last price, rbl | Trading volume, bln rbl |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gazprom | +0.83 | 292.75 | 10.572 |
| Sberbank | -0.14 | 329.43 | 6.516 |
| Norilsk Nickel | +0.42 | 24630 | 3.871 |
| Lukoil | +0.87 | 6506 | 3.828 |
| VTB | -1.92 | 0.0521 | 2.954 |
(73.9695 – U.S. $1)
End
Add to favorites
Print version
