Summary
The MOEX Russia Index closed the Tuesday session up 0.63% as gains in mining, telecommunications and power-related names provided the principal upward momentum. Market participation tilted toward advancers, while the Russian Volatility Index ticked up slightly. Commodity markets saw notable moves, with gold and oil futures advancing. Currency pairs involving the ruble moved higher, and the US Dollar Index futures declined marginally.
Market close and sector drivers
At the close of trading in Moscow the MOEX Russia Index recorded a 0.63% increase. Sector contributions that stood out during the session included Mining, Telecoms and Power, which together pushed the benchmark modestly higher by the end of the day.
Top and bottom individual performers
The session's strongest performers on the MOEX Russia Index were:
- Moskovskaya Birzha PJSC (MCX:MOEX) - up 2.78% or 5.07 points, closing at 187.49.
- VK Company Ltd (MCX:VKCO) - up 2.28% or 7.00 points, closing at 314.00.
- Polyus PJSC (MCX:PLZL) - up 2.21% or 58.00 points, closing at 2,687.80.
Notable laggards included:
- Bank VTB PJSC (MCX:VTBR) - down 1.09% or 0.90 points, closing at 81.36.
- Novolipetsk Steel (MCX:NLMK) - down 0.59% or 0.68 points, closing at 113.98.
- LUKOIL PJSC (MCX:LKOH) - down 0.54% or 28.50 points, closing at 5,220.50.
Breadth and volatility
Advancers outnumbered decliners on the Moscow Stock Exchange by 130 to 111, with 11 issues unchanged at the close. The Russian Volatility Index - RVI, which reflects implied volatility for options on the MOEX Russia Index, rose 0.07% to 27.43.
Commodities and FX moves
Commodity contracts moved higher in the session. Gold futures for April delivery rose 6.93% or 322.59 to $4,975.19 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for March delivery increased 2.90% or 1.80 to $63.94 a barrel, while the April Brent contract gained 2.61% or 1.73 to trade at $68.03 a barrel.
On currency markets, USD/RUB was up 0.39% at 77.00 and EUR/RUB rose 0.64% to 91.00. The US Dollar Index futures moved lower, down 0.28% at 97.22.
Context and takeaway
The session closed with modest overall gains for the benchmark and positive breadth, driven primarily by resource and communications-related names. Volatility edged up slightly as commodity prices advanced and the ruble weakened marginally against the dollar and euro.