Russian stocks seen neutral amid no trading on Western floors

MOSCOW, Dec 25 (PRIME) -- Russian stocks may open neutrally on Friday as Western markets will be closed for Christmas, analysts said.

“Western markets will be closed today for Catholic Christmas. So we have to trade without external guidelines. In such conditions, we are expecting neutral dynamics of blue chips and a shift in demand towards the second tier, where strong movements can be observed in some securities,” Alor Broker analyst Alexei Antonov said.

The U.S. stock indices closed 0.2–0.3% higher, there is no trading on the U.S. bourses due to Christmas. European indices closed in plus Asian indices are also mostly growing, Olma senior analyst Anton Startsev said.

“Strong movements on the market are unlikely today – the Christmas holidays in Western countries imply a decrease in the activity of non-residents and the saturation of the news stream,” Startsev said.

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