Russia's equity benchmark ended the trading session in Moscow weaker on Friday, driven by declines across the Power, Mining and Oil & Gas sectors. The MOEX Russia Index fell 0.62% and reached a new three-year low at the close.
Market breadth favoured decliners: 154 issues lost ground, 89 advanced and 8 finished unchanged on the Moscow Stock Exchange. Among individual performers, Moskovskiy Kreditnyi Bank PAO (MCX:CBOM) was the session's top gainer, rising 2.28% or 0.19 points to close at 8.30. ROSSETI PJSC (MCX:FEES) ended up 1.37% or 0.00 points to 0.05, and Moskovskaya Birzha PJSC (MCX:MOEX) added 1.22% or 2.04 points to finish at 169.30.
On the downside, Transneft PJSC Pref (MCX:TRNF_p) recorded the steepest decline, sliding 4.09% or 53.00 points to end the session at 1,233.00. OZON (MCX:OZON) fell 3.28% or 107.00 points to close at 3,157.00, and Federal Hydro Generating Company RusHydro PJSC (MCX:HYDR) dropped 2.84% or 0.01 points to 0.30. Shares of OZON fell to 52-week lows during the session.
Volatility on the MOEX options market increased: the Russian Volatility Index - RVI, which tracks implied volatility for MOEX Russia Index options, rose 5.45% to 40.66.
Commodities relevant to the market moved higher on the session. Gold Futures for August delivery climbed 1.49% or 61.60 to $4,187.30 a troy ounce. Crude oil for August delivery was up 0.13% or 0.09 to $68.78 a barrel, while the September Brent contract increased 0.19% or 0.14 to trade at $71.94 a barrel.
Currency pairs showed modest moves versus the ruble. USD/RUB declined 0.24% to 77.31 and EUR/RUB fell 0.19% to 88.41. The US Dollar Index Futures slipped 0.02% to 100.61.
Market context and implications
- Sectoral selling in Power, Mining and Oil & Gas was the primary factor behind the MOEX index's drop to a three-year low.
- Selective gains among financial and exchange-linked names provided some offset to broader declines, but were insufficient to prevent the index from closing lower.
- Higher implied volatility and rising precious metals and oil prices reflect a mixed reaction across asset classes within the same session.
All price movements and index changes above reflect reported closing levels and session metrics as provided.