Russian equities ended Tuesday's session in positive territory, with the MOEX Russia Index finishing 0.24% higher at the close in Moscow. Sector-level strength in Oil & Gas, Power and Manufacturing underpinned the move, though market breadth remained tilted toward decliners.
Top performers
The session's best performers on the MOEX Russia Index included Moskovskaya Birzha PJSC (MCX:MOEX), which advanced 2.25% or 3.86 points to finish at 175.05. TATNEFT n.a. V.D. Shashin (MCX:TATN) added 1.68% or 9.80 points to close at 592.50, while LUKOIL PJSC (MCX:LKOH) rose 1.61% or 87.00 points to end the day at 5,479.50.
Lagging stocks
On the downside, Moskovskiy Kreditnyi Bank PAO (MCX:CBOM) led losses, dropping 6.32% or 0.44 points to close at 6.47. Bank VTB PJSC (MCX:VTBR) fell 2.32% or 2.28 points to 95.83, and AFK Sistema PJSC (MCX:AFKS) declined 1.58% or 0.19 points to 11.95.
AFK Sistema PJSC (MCX:AFKS) reached a 52-week low during the session, with the stock falling to 11.95.
Market internals and volatility
Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the Moscow Stock Exchange by 135 to 106, with 10 stocks ending unchanged. The Russian Volatility Index - RVI, which measures implied volatility of MOEX Russia Index options, rose 2.09% to 21.94, signaling an uptick in option-implied volatility.
Commodities and currency moves
In commodities trading, June Gold Futures were down 1.87% or 90.30, trading at $4,738.50 a troy ounce. The front-month crude oil contract for June delivery increased 3.20% or 2.80 to $90.22 a barrel, while the June Brent oil contract inched up 0.09% or 0.09 to $99.31 a barrel.
Foreign exchange pairs were unchanged at the close: USD/RUB remained at 75.06 and EUR/RUB was unchanged at 88.17. The US Dollar Index Futures moved higher, up 0.28% at 98.19.
Outlook
Tuesday's close left the MOEX Russia Index modestly higher with energy and industrial names among the notable contributors to the session's gains. At the same time, the greater number of declining issues and a rise in the RVI underscore mixed signals beneath the headline index move.