Russian equities ended Monday's trading in negative territory, with the MOEX Russia Index slipping 1.02% at the close in Moscow. Declines were concentrated in the Oil & Gas, Mining and Power sectors, which weighed on the overall market.
Among individual movers, Moskovskiy Kreditnyi Bank PAO (MCX:CBOM) led the gainers on the MOEX Russia Index, finishing up 2.64% - a rise of 0.16 points to close at 6.34. Aeroflot PJSC (MCX:AFLT) also outperformed the benchmark, adding 2.56% or 1.21 points to reach 48.46. Polyus PJSC (MCX:PLZL), a major gold producer, advanced 2.25% or 46.80 points to end the session at 2,129.60.
On the downside, NOVATEK PJSC (MCX:NVTK) posted the steepest loss among prominent names, falling 4.02% - down 44.60 points to 1,065.00 at the close. Steelmaker Severstal PJSC (MCX:CHMF) lost 3.53% or 26.20 points to finish at 716.80; the shares were noted at three-year lows after the decline. TATNEFT n.a. V.D. Shashin (MCX:TATN) dropped 3.50% or 21.90 points to close at 603.90.
Market breadth was markedly negative on the Moscow Exchange: 207 stocks declined versus 40 that rose, while 4 issues finished unchanged.
Volatility measures climbed during the session. The Russian Volatility Index - RVI, which reflects implied volatility in options on the MOEX Russia Index, increased 6.05% to 23.15.
Commodities moved sharply: Gold futures for August delivery rose 1.07% or $48.70 to $4,605.10 a troy ounce. Crude oil showed pronounced weakness, with July delivery falling 6.51% or $6.29 to $90.31 per barrel, and the August Brent contract down 6.55% or $6.56 to $93.65 per barrel.
Foreign exchange pairs were stable versus the ruble in reported levels: USD/RUB was unchanged at 71.61 and EUR/RUB was unchanged at 83.37. The US Dollar Index futures traded lower, down 0.27% at 98.92.
Market close takeaway - The session closed with clear downside participation driven by energy and materials stocks, while select names in banking, aviation and gold offered relative resilience. Rising implied volatility and a significant drop in crude benchmarks were notable features of the trading day.