Russia's equity benchmark finished lower on Tuesday, with the MOEX Russia Index closing down 0.14% in Moscow trading as weakness in the Oil & Gas, Telecoms and Mining sectors pushed the market into negative territory.
At the close, the index registered a modest loss even as a handful of names posted gains. The session's strongest performers included Federal Hydro Generating Company RusHydro PJSC (MCX:HYDR), which rose 2.13% or 0.01 points to finish at 0.44. MMC NORILSK NICKEL PJSC (MCX:GMKN) added 1.14% or 1.80 points to close at 156.40, and Moskovskaya Birzha PJSC (MCX:MOEX) was up 1.10% or 2.00 points to 183.22 by late trade.
On the downside, Magnitogorskiy Metallurgicheskiy Kombinat PAO (MCX:MAGN) led losses among large movers, slipping 2.03% or 0.66 points to end the day at 31.69. Transneft PJSC Pref (MCX:TRNF_p) declined 1.87% or 27.00 points to finish at 1,418.00, while Bank VTB PJSC (MCX:VTBR) fell 1.68% or 1.50 points to close at 87.39.
Market breadth on the Moscow Stock Exchange showed more falling issues than advancing ones, with 141 names lower, 100 higher and 12 unchanged at the close.
The Russian Volatility Index - RVI, which measures the implied volatility of MOEX Russia Index options, declined 0.59% to 25.28, indicating a small reduction in option-implied market stress into the close.
Commodity price action was mixed during the session. Gold futures for April delivery fell 0.94% or 49.16 to $5,176.44 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for April delivery slipped 0.08% or 0.05 to $66.26 a barrel, while the May Brent contract rose 0.15% or 0.11 to trade at $71.22 a barrel.
Currency moves against the ruble showed modest depreciation in the dollar pair and broader strength in the euro pair: USD/RUB was down 0.40% to 76.61, and EUR/RUB fell 0.50% to 90.19. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.17% at 97.81.
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Overall, Tuesday's session closed with a small decline for the MOEX Russia Index amid sector-specific pressure, mixed commodity moves and a slight easing in implied volatility.