Russian stocks fall dragged by oil prices, foreign background

MOSCOW, Dec 24 (PRIME) -- Russian stocks decreased on Monday dragged by low oil prices and negative dynamics on foreign stock exchanges, analysts said.

The MOEX Russia Index fell 1.06% to 2,322.27 and the RTS decreased 0.66% to 1,070.09.

“The MOEX Russia Index and the RTS index remained on the negative territory by the end of trading on Monday due to unfavorable foreign background,” Veles Broker analyst Yelena Kozhukhova said.

The ruble continued to strengthen against the dollar and euro due to a tax period, she said.

Oil prices were losing 1–2% remaining slightly above U.S. $53 per barrel by the end of trading in Russia.

Power producer Unipro and real estate developer PIK Group were among growth leaders, rising by 3.88% and 2.1%, respectively. Electronic goods and household appliances retailer M.Video and mobile operator MTS were among major outsiders, falling by 5.52% and 3.8%, respectively.

Fertilizer producer Uralkali went down 1.04% after its Solikamsk mine caught fire on December 22, killing nine workers.

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

Company	Change, %	Last price, rbl	Trading volume, bln rbl
Sberbank	-1.33	184.30	6.022
Lukoil	-0.43	4909.00	3.061
Gazprom	-0.92	149.73	1.605
Norilsk Nickel	-1.78	12783.00	0.791
VTB	-1.49	0.03472	0.775

(68.0085 rubles – U.S. $1)

End