Russian stocks may fall on slightly negative background

MOSCOW, Dec 23 (PRIME) -- Russian stocks may open flat or marginally decrease at the opening on Monday amid a slightly negative foreign background, analysts said.

“The external background before the start of trading in Russia is slightly negative. The U.S. and China are getting closer to signing the first-phase trade deal, but investors prefer to take profits from the rally on the expectations of this event. Therefore, the domestic market, if it does not begin to decline, will remain at the achieved values,” Otkritie Broker analyst Andrei Kochetkov said.

Vitaly Manzhos, a senior risk manager at investment company Algo Capital, expects the MOEX Russia Index to open with a decrease of around 0.2–0.3%, near the level of 3,005–3,010 points.

The U.S. stock index futures are slightly growing within 0.1%, Brent oil futures fell by 0.4%, China’s Shanghai Composite edged down 0.8%, and Japan’s Nikkei225 is growing by token 0.02%, he said.

Alor Broker analyst Alexei Antonov said the foreign background is on the whole neutral before the opening of the Russian market. The U.S. futures are trading above zero, while the oil price has slightly fallen, but is still at a level of U.S. $66 per barrel that is comfortable for the Russian oil sector.

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