Russian stocks close mixed amid high oil, weaker ruble

MOSCOW, Mar 6 (PRIME) -- Russian stocks closed mixed on Tuesday on the back of growing oil prices and the ruble’s depreciation against the U.S. dollar after trading positively almost the entire day, analysts said.

The MOEX Russia Index decreased 0.27% to 2,303.32 and the RTS grew 0.15% to 1,281.43.

“On Tuesday, despite continuing upward dynamics on foreign markets, our indices demonstrated mixed dynamics shortly before the closure of trading,” Freedom Finance senior analyst Bogdan Zvarich said.

The Russian stock market was supported by the situation on the energy market, where Brent oil price consolidated above U.S. $65.5 per barrel, he said. Western floors also continue to grow, he added.

Metals giant Norilsk Nickel fell 0.34% after reporting its net profit decreased 16% to $2.123 billion in 2017, as calculated under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Real estate developer LSR Group grew 0.44% on reports that its IFRS net profit jumped 73% to 15.9 billion rubles in 2017.

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

Company	Change, %	Last price, rbl	Trading volume, bln rbl
Sberbank	-1.07	274.03	11.265
Norilsk Nickel	-0.34	11161.00	5.942
Magnit	-2.53	5000.00	3.508
Gazprom	-0.71	140.59	3.473
Lukoil	+0.38	3744.00	2.416

(57.1000 rubles – U.S. $1)

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