Russia's equity market finished Thursday's session under pressure, with the MOEX Russia Index falling 0.29% to a fresh six-month low at the close in Moscow. Weakness was driven primarily by shares in the Mining, Power and Oil & Gas sectors.
Among individual movers on the MOEX Russia Index, PIK SHb PJSC (MCX:PIKK) led gainers, rising 9.11% or 49.70 points to close at 595.00. Polyus PJSC (MCX:PLZL) added 2.31% or 45.00 points to end at 1,995.00, and OZON (MCX:OZON) advanced 1.85% or 70.00 points to finish the session at 3,846.50.
On the downside, United Company Rusal IPJSC (MCX:RUAL) was the biggest decliner listed, falling 3.43% or 1.19 points to close at 33.46. ROSSETI PJSC (MCX:FEES) was recorded as unchanged 1.61% or 0.00 points to end at 0.05, and Surgutneftegas PJSC (MCX:SNGS) slipped 1.40% or 0.26 points to close at 18.61.
Market breadth favored falling issues, with 132 stocks declining versus 108 advancing on the Moscow Stock Exchange; 11 issues finished unchanged.
The report also flagged price milestones: shares in ROSSETI PJSC (MCX:FEES) remained at 5-year lows, recorded as unchanged 1.61% or 0.00 to 0.05. Shares in Surgutneftegas PJSC (MCX:SNGS) fell to 3-year lows, down 1.40% or 0.26 to 18.61.
Volatility eased during the session. The Russian Volatility Index - RVI, which measures implied volatility of MOEX Russia Index options, declined 4.02% to 26.71.
Commodity markets showed mixed direction. Gold Futures for August delivery rose 2.43% or 100.35 to $4,233.65 a troy ounce. In crude markets, the July delivery contract fell 3.93% or 3.54 to $86.49 a barrel, while the August Brent contract inched higher by 0.07% or 0.06 to trade at $89.18 a barrel.
Currency pairs involving the Russian ruble were stable in the close: USD/RUB was unchanged 0.00% at 72.26, while EUR/RUB was unchanged 0.00% at 83.67. The US Dollar Index Futures moved lower by 0.23% to 99.70.
Below are the key takeaways and considerations from Thursday's session.
- Index direction: MOEX Russia Index fell 0.29% to a six-month low, with sector-level selling concentrated in Mining, Power and Oil & Gas.
- Top movers: PIKK, PLZL and OZON were the session's top performers; RUAL, FEES and SNGS were among the laggards.
- Volatility and commodities: The RVI declined to 26.71; gold rose sharply while July crude fell and Brent edged up.