Russian stocks close mixed on multidirectional background

MOSCOW, Dec 15 (PRIME) -- The Russian stock market closed mixed on Wednesday on multidirectional drivers from the external background, analysts said.

The MOEX Russia Index firmed by 0.07% to 3,621.82 and the RTS decreased by 0.50% to 1,541.00.

“The mood of players on the foreign bourses were mixed. Asia again closed lower, excluding Japan, while the European bourses mainly rose. The U.S. indices fell,” Alexandra Ovchinnikova, analyst at Sber Asset Management, said.

The Brent oil price remained below U.S. $73 for the majority of the day as OPEC and the International Energy Agency have different views on the future of the oil market, she said.

“The oil price has been falling for three days straight. The issues in China, the main oil consumer, concern the market. The Chinese government continues its policy of zero tolerance to the coronavirus,” Mikhail Shulgin, head of the global research department at Otkritie Investment, said.

“In the winter, the oil refineries usually buy more oil to replenish their fuel reserves before the Lunar New Year, but the high contagiousness of the omicron variant creates risks of travel limitations. Less travel means lower demand for oil and gasoline.”

 BCS World of Investment’s stock market expert Dmitry Babin said slight easing of the geopolitical rhetoric provided support to the ruble-denominated assets at it created some hope for solution of deep conflicts between Russia and the West.

“Signals of uncertainty are coming from the geopolitical background, and they show that Europe’s position on the new anti-Russian sanctions is split. At the same time, (U.S. President Joe) Biden is going to speak with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin again,” Veles Capital analyst Yelena Kozhukhova said.

Shulgin also said that Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov told RBC business daily that another company besides Rosneft asked the government to grant access to Gazprom’s export natural gas pipelines. Shulginov did not name the company, but the market assumed that it is oil company Surgutneftegas, whose shares gained 8.49% to 39.89 rubles.

Kozhukhova said that the shares of electronic goods and household appliances retailer M.Video plunged by 8.24% to 479 rubles due to a dividend cut-off.

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

Company	Change, %	Last price, rbl	Trading volume, bln rbl
Sberbank	-1.56	280.46	21.490
Gazprom	-0.08	319.09	21.215
Surgutneftegas	+8.49	39.89	11.914
Lukoil	-1.41	6499.00	6.304
Norilsk Nickel	+1.06	21180.00	5.738

(73.4698 rubles – U.S. $1)

End %%md/jst%%