Russian stocks rise amid high oil prices, mixed background

MOSCOW, Jan 31 (PRIME) -- Russian stocks increased on Thursday amid growing oil prices and a mixed foreign background, analysts said.

The MOEX Russia Index rose 0.37% to 2,521.10 and the RTS Index increased 1.29% to 1,214.45.

“The MOEX Russia Index and the RTS Index remained in plus by the end of trading on Thursday amid an absence of negative news and high oil prices,” Veles Capital analyst Yelena Kozhukhova said.

The ruble also strengthened against the dollar and euro, she said.

Trading in the U.S. opened with mixed dynamics of three main indices, while trading in Europe was on a pessimistic note.

Oil quotations accelerated growth by the end of the day and were adding around 1.5–2% in expectation of news from trade negotiations between the U.S. and China.

Aluminum giant UC RUSAL, Internet giant Yandex, and steelmaker Severstal were among growth leaders, adding 3.81%, 2.55%, and 2.28%, respectively.

Oil and gas pipe maker TMK and gas giant Gazprom were among outsiders, losing 2.19% and 1.56%, respectively.

Hydropower giant RusHydro added 0.98% after reporting that its output rose 2.9% to 130.615 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2018.

Precious metals producer Polymetal International grew 0.84% on reports that its gold output increased 13% to 1.216 million ounces in 2018.

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

Company	Change, %	Last price, rbl	Trading volume, bln rbl
Sberbank	+2.23	217.90	17.427
Gazprom	-1.56	162.82	5.044
Lukoil	+0.87	5272.50	4.170
Norilsk Nickel	-0.32	13596.00	3.119
Severstal	+2.28	998.50	1.956

(66.0987 rubles – U.S. $1)

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