Russian equities closed modestly higher on Monday as gains concentrated in energy, power and industrial-related names helped lift the MOEX Russia Index. At the close of trading in Moscow, the index recorded a 0.19% increase.
Leading the session were AFK Sistema PJSC (MCX:AFKS), which climbed 5.18% or 0.63 points to finish at 12.68; Surgutneftegas PJSC Pref (MCX:SNGS_p), which added 4.24% or 1.70 points to end at 41.65; and Moskovskiy Kreditnyi Bank PAO (MCX:CBOM), up 3.32% or 0.24 points to 7.58 in late trade.
At the other end of the market, Unipro PJSC (MCX:UPRO) fell 3.54% or 0.05 points to close at 1.24, PhosAgro PJSC (MCX:PHOR) declined 2.69% or 168.00 points to finish at 6,083.00, and Aeroflot PJSC (MCX:AFLT) slipped 1.37% or 0.66 points to 47.67.
Market breadth on the Moscow Exchange favored advancing issues, with 152 stocks rising against 86 decliners, while 13 names ended unchanged.
Unipro's shares moved to a three-year low during the session; the stock closed down 3.54% at 1.24.
Implied volatility for MOEX index options, as measured by the Russian Volatility Index - RVI, increased 3.61% to 23.55, indicating an uptick in option-implied market uncertainty.
Commodities trading showed mixed direction. Gold futures for August delivery fell 1.70%, down 78.05 to trade at 4,514.95 a troy ounce. Energy contracts were stronger: U.S. crude oil for July delivery jumped 5.85% or 5.11 to settle at $92.47 a barrel, while the August Brent contract rose 0.29% or 0.28 to trade at $95.72 a barrel.
Foreign-exchange trading in Moscow was stable on the day. USD/RUB was unchanged at 71.96, and EUR/RUB was unchanged at 83.70.
Elsewhere, the U.S. Dollar Index Futures was higher, up 0.29% at 99.14 by the close reported in the session.
Taken together, the session displayed targeted strength among energy, power and manufacturing-related issuers, supported by a notable rise in crude prices, while precious metals moved lower and volatility measures ticked up. Market breadth favored advancers, though several individual large-cap names posted declines and one reached a multi-year low.