Russian stocks rise backed by positive moods on foreign floors

MOSCOW, Nov 1 (PRIME) -- Russian stocks moderately increased on Thursday receiving support from Western floors after falling almost the entire trading day in line with oil prices that descended below U.S. $74 per barrel, analysts said.

The MOEX Russia Index rose 0.28% to 2,359.33 and the RTS increased 0.46% to 1,131.38.

“By the end of the trading session, Russian stocks rushed upwards after the U.S. indices opened with confident growth, and as a result, the MOEX Russia Index entered then plus and finished the day on a positive note,” Veles Capital analysts said in a research note.

BCS Broker analyst Anastasia Popova said that “today, market participants prefer to make only selective purchases and fix speculative long positions.”

Investor activity was low ahead of the upcoming holidays, analysts said.

National top lender Sberbank fell 0.6% after reporting that its net profit rose 1.8% on the year to 228.1 billion rubles in July–September, as calculated under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

National flagship air carrier Aeroflot closed 0.38% lower on reports that its net profit fell 42% on the year to 15.626 billion rubles in January–September, as calculated under Russian Accounting Standards (RAS).

Power producer Enel Russia decreased 1.65% on reports that its IFRS net profit fell 20.5% on the year to 4.89 billion rubles in January–September.

Telecom operator Rostelecom added 0.43% after reporting that its IFRS net income increased 46% on the year to 5.703 billion rubles in July–September.

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

Company	Change, %	Last price, rbl	Trading volume, bln rbl
Sberbank	-0.6	188.67	14.659
Lukoil	-0.16	4937.00	3.426
Gazprom	-1.27	153.50	2.629
Norilsk Nickel	+2.27	11250.00	2.087
Yandex	+4.3	1999.00	1.708

(65.5962 rubles – U.S. $1)

End