Russian stocks edge up in correctional rebound

MOSCOW, Apr 15 (PRIME) -- The Russian stock market edged up on Friday in a correctional rebound after several consecutive sessions of sales, analysts said.

The MOEX Russia Index rose 0.84% to 2,424.99 and the RTS increased 1.53% to 955.46.

“The ruble assets are still under the pressure from the negative geopolitical circumstances and expectations of new anti-Russian sanctions. Nevertheless, the previous five trading sessions of sales call for a technical correction, and the shares of many companies became attractive from the speculative point of view,” Dmitry Babin, stock market expert at BCS World of Investment, said.

Some of the key stock markets are closed for holidays -- there is no trading in the futures for the U.S. indices, oil, and other commodities. The activity of buyers on the Russian market is usually low during the days like this, Babin said.

Veles Capital analyst Yelena Kozhukhova said that the mood of players on the Russian market was mixed and the MOEX Russia Index and the RTS index fell to their lowest points since the end of February and March, respectively. Nevertheless, the indices rebounded upward closer to the end of the trading session, she said.

Pulp and paper holding Segezha Group gained 4.50% to 8.895 rubles as one of a handful of companies to pay dividends, Kozhukhova said.

Otkritie Research’s analyst Andrei Kochetkov said that the shares of gold producer Petropavlovsk Plc lost 14.89% to 8.60 rubles as investors were still pricing in the possible plans of the company to split the Russian and foreign assets.

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

Company	Change, %	Last price, rbl	Trading volume, bln rbl
Sberbank	+1.42	130.88	6.025
Gazprom	+0.85	224.00	4.439
VTB	+0.95	0.020125	1.262
PhosAgro	+0.89	6820.00	1.186
Norilsk Nickel	+1.18	20240.00	0.897

(81.2880 rubles – U.S. $1)

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