Russian stocks rise on global optimism, strong crude oil dynamics

MOSCOW, Oct 15 (PRIME) -- The Russian stock market increased slightly on Friday, following general optimism of investors on major global stock markets and rising crude oil prices, analysts said.

The MOEX Russia Index grew 0.06% to 4,261.82 and the RTS increased 0.83% to 1,891.56.

“The Moscow Exchange and RTS indices … tried to consolidate in the plus position against the background of continuing positive external factors. Optimism prevailed at the end of the week on global stock exchanges. Buyers are trying to restore their appetite for risk,” Yelena Kozhukhova of Veles Capital said.

“Optimism prevailed on Asian markets, after the People’s Bank of China said that developers in the country are stable, the situation with Evergrande is unique. Demand for U.S. assets strengthened … thanks to strong macro statistics and corporate reporting as the data point to a U.S. economic recovery,” Maxim Kondratyev, analyst at Sber Asset Management, said.

Alexei Golovinov, chief analyst at PSB Bank, said that oil prices passed the 3-year highs, supporting the stocks of Russian oil companies.

Shares of X5 Retail Group’s were under downward pressure due to July–September net sales rising slightly below the forecast 11.6% on the year to 541.95 billion rubles, Kozhukhova said.

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

Company	Change, %	Last price, rbl	Trading volume, bln rbl
Sberbank	-1.25	371.4	13.187
Gazprom	+0.17	367.62	12.377
Lukoil	+1.32	7310.5	6.515
ALROSA	-0.18	137.95	5.476
Norilsk Nickel	+0.75	23100	5.335

(71.7846 rubles – U.S. $1)

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