Russian share prices finished higher at the close on Friday as buying interest in the Oil & Gas, Manufacturing and Mining sectors drove the market upward.
At the close in Moscow, the MOEX Russia Index advanced 1.01%, reaching a new three-month high.
The session's strongest performers on the MOEX Russia Index included Rosneft PJSC (MCX:ROSN), which climbed 4.40% or 19.70 points to close at 467.40. LUKOIL PJSC (MCX:LKOH) added 4.02%, gaining 218.00 points to finish at 5,636.00. OK Rusal MKPAO (MCX:RUAL) rose 3.54% or 1.52 points to end the day at 44.40.
On the other side of the ledger, the names listed as the day's weakest were led by ROSSETI PJSC (MCX:FEES), which was unchanged - reported as 3.57% or 0.00 points - to trade at 0.07 at the close. Unipro PJSC (MCX:UPRO) declined 2.29% or 0.04 points to settle at 1.53, and Magnitogorskiy Metallurgicheskiy Kombinat PAO (MCX:MAGN) fell 1.78% or 0.54 points to close at 29.52.
Across the Moscow Stock Exchange, decliners outnumbered advancers by 162 to 79, while 12 issues finished unchanged.
OK Rusal MKPAO (MCX:RUAL) also registered a 52-week high during the session, with the stock gaining 3.54% or 1.52 points to 44.40.
Volatility as measured by the Russian Volatility Index - RVI, which reflects implied volatility of MOEX Russia Index options, eased 1.34% to 23.49, marking a new one-month low.
Commodity markets saw notable moves: Gold Futures for April delivery rose 1.95% or 99.06 to $5,177.76 a troy ounce. Crude oil for April delivery gained 12.89% or 10.44 to reach $91.45 a barrel, while the May Brent oil contract increased 8.76% or 7.48 to trade at $92.89 a barrel.
In currency trading, USD/RUB was up 0.42% at 79.00, and EUR/RUB rose 0.49% to 91.76. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.42% at 98.90.
Market snapshot
- MOEX Russia Index: +1.01% to a three-month high
- Top gainers: Rosneft (MCX:ROSN), LUKOIL (MCX:LKOH), OK Rusal (MCX:RUAL)
- RVI: -1.34% to 23.49 (one-month low)
- Commodities: April gold +1.95% to $5,177.76; April crude +12.89% to $91.45; May Brent +8.76% to $92.89
- Currencies: USD/RUB +0.42% to 79.00; EUR/RUB +0.49% to 91.76