Stock Markets February 22, 2026

Moscow Stocks Finish Mixed as MOEX Index Holds Steady

Major Russian equities show modest moves; breadth favors advancers while index ends unchanged

By Nina Shah MGNT
Moscow Stocks Finish Mixed as MOEX Index Holds Steady
MGNT

Russia's equity market closed with a flat MOEX Russia Index as a handful of large-cap names posted modest gains and losses. Market breadth favored advancing issues, the RVI volatility gauge was unchanged, and commodity and currency moves were small but varied across gold, oil and the ruble pairs. The session's sector leadership was not specified in available reports.

Key Points

  • MOEX Russia Index finished the session unchanged at 0.00%.
  • Leading individual gainers included Gazprom (GAZP), MTSS and Aeroflot, while VTB, Magnit and Sberbank were the session's laggards.
  • Market breadth showed 158 advancing stocks, 75 decliners and 15 unchanged; the RVI was unchanged at 24.99. Commodities and FX posted mixed moves—gold rose sharply, crude oil was mixed, and the ruble pairs moved marginally.

Russia's stock market closed on Sunday with the MOEX Russia Index effectively unchanged, according to late-session readings. The index finished the day up 0.00%.

Among individual issues, energy heavyweight Gazprom PJSC (MCX:GAZP) led gains, rising 1.52% or 1.92 points to finish at 127.85. Telecom operator Mobil'nye Telesistemy PJSC (MCX:MTSS) also advanced, adding 0.85% or 2.00 points to close at 236.75. Airline group Aeroflot PJSC (MCX:AFLT) was up 0.61% or 0.34 points to 55.96 at the close.

On the downside, Bank VTB PJSC (MCX:VTBR) slipped 0.32% or 0.28 points to end the session at 88.60. Retailer Magnit PJSC (MCX:MGNT) fell 0.19% or 6.50 points to finish at 3,337.00, while Sberbank Rossii PJSC (MCX:SBER) was down 0.15% or 0.46 points to 313.54.

Market breadth on the Moscow Stock Exchange showed more advancing issues than decliners, with 158 stocks rising, 75 falling and 15 ending unchanged.

The Russian Volatility Index - RVI, which reflects implied volatility in options tied to the MOEX Russia Index, was unchanged at 24.99, recording a 0.00% move on the session.


Commodities and currency markets showed mixed activity. Gold futures for April delivery were reported up 1.67% or 83.50 to $5,080.90 a troy ounce. In crude markets, the April WTI contract edged down 0.06% or 0.04 to $66.39 a barrel, while the May Brent contract rose 0.14% or 0.10 to $71.30 a barrel.

On the currency front, USD/RUB moved down 0.03% to 76.72, and EUR/RUB ticked higher by 0.04% to 90.39. The US Dollar Index Futures was lower by 0.13% at 97.73.

Public reporting of the session did not specify which sectors led market moves, leaving sector-level attribution unclear for this close.


Overall, the close left the MOEX Russia Index unchanged while individual large-cap names across energy, telecom, banking, retail and aviation posted small but divergent moves. Breadth favored advancing stocks, and volatility, as measured by the RVI, was flat.

Risks

  • Sector drivers for the session were not specified in available reporting, creating uncertainty about the underlying causes of price moves - this affects interpretation for investors focused on sector allocation.
  • Commodity price fluctuations, evidenced by differing moves in gold and oil, could introduce volatility for commodity-linked sectors such as energy and materials.
  • Currency swings, even modest ones in USD/RUB and EUR/RUB, may affect earnings and funding costs for exporters, importers and domestically focused banks.

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