Russian stocks finished the trading day in positive territory on Monday, with the MOEX Russia Index ending the session up 0.91% at the Moscow close. Strength in the Mining, Oil & Gas and Manufacturing sectors helped drive the advance across the benchmark.
Top movers
The session's strongest performer on the MOEX Russia Index was Magnitogorskiy Metallurgicheskiy Kombinat PAO (MCX:MAGN), which rose 5.31% or 1.39 points to close at 27.59. AK ALROSA PJSC (MCX:ALRS) added 2.63% or 0.87 points to finish at 34.01, while MMC NORILSK NICKEL PJSC (MCX:GMKN) gained 2.54% or 3.40 points, ending the day at 137.30.
Lagging names
Not all components moved higher. VK Company Ltd (MCX:VKCO) was the session's weakest performer, slipping 1.20% or 3.25 points to 267.15 at the close. Magnit PJSC (MCX:MGNT) declined 1.07% or 31.50 points to 2,914.50, and Federal Hydro Generating Company RusHydro PJSC (MCX:HYDR) was 0.88% or 0.00 points to 0.44.
Market breadth and volatility
Advancers outnumbered decliners on the Moscow Stock Exchange by 153 to 86, with 11 issues finishing unchanged. The Russian Volatility Index - RVI, which reflects implied volatility in MOEX Russia Index options, rose 28.02% to 26.50, signaling higher option-implied volatility at the close.
Commodities and FX at the close
Precious and energy markets showed mixed moves as the cash session wrapped. Gold Futures for June delivery decreased 0.07% or 3.50 to $4,676.20 a troy ounce. In crude markets, May delivery rose 0.96% or 1.07 to $112.61 a barrel, while the June Brent oil contract slipped 0.15% or 0.17 to $109.52 a barrel.
On the currency front, USD/RUB was unchanged at 79.01 (0.00%), and EUR/RUB also finished unchanged at 91.22 (0.00%). The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.03% at 99.83.
Overall, the session closed with a clear tilt toward higher-priced issues, led by materials and energy-related names, while select consumer and utility stocks lagged.