Russian shares finished the trading day in Moscow on Thursday with a noticeable loss, led by weakness in the Mining, Power and Oil & Gas sectors. At the close, the MOEX Russia Index was down 1.36%.
The session's top performers on the MOEX Russia Index included AFK Sistema PJSC (MCX:AFKS), which rose 3.02% or 0.34 points to finish at 11.61. Mobil’nye Telesistemy PJSC (MCX:MTSS) added 1.65% or 3.65 points to close at 225.20, and PIK SHb PJSC (MCX:PIKK) edged up 0.06% or 0.30 points to 538.50 in late trade.
On the downside, Bank VTB PJSC (MCX:VTBR) led losses after sliding 3.62% or 3.39 points to end at 90.11. Retailer Magnit PJSC (MCX:MGNT) dropped 2.56% or 65.00 points to close at 2,471.00, while oil producer Surgutneftegas PJSC (MCX:SNGS) fell 2.55% or 0.51 points to 19.51.
Market breadth was tilted to the downside on the Moscow exchange: falling issues outnumbered advancing ones by 176 to 68, and 6 stocks finished unchanged.
Notably, shares of Magnit PJSC (MCX:MGNT) moved to five-year lows, declining 2.56% or 65.00 to reach 2,471.00 at the close.
Volatility measures also shifted during the session. The Russian Volatility Index - RVI, which tracks implied volatility of MOEX Russia Index options, dropped 17.12% to 20.81.
Commodities and currency markets were mixed. Gold futures for June delivery were down 1.09% or 51.35 to $4,655.35 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for June delivery rose 0.99% or 1.00 to $102.02 a barrel, while the July Brent contract fell 0.13% or 0.14 to trade at $106.52 a barrel.
Foreign exchange moves were muted at the close: USD/RUB was unchanged at 73.15 (0.00%), and EUR/RUB was also unchanged at 85.46 (0.00%). The US Dollar Index Futures was higher, up 0.36% at 98.78.
The session highlighted sector-specific pressure in Mining, Power and Oil & Gas stocks, while select telecommunications and diversified holdings posted gains. Breadth indicators favored sellers and volatility as measured by the RVI declined notably.