Russian equities closed higher on Tuesday, with gains concentrated in the Manufacturing, Telecoms and Mining sectors that pushed the MOEX Russia Index into positive territory. At the Moscow close, the benchmark MOEX Russia Index was up 0.21%.
Leading individual movers on the index included AFK Sistema PJSC (MCX:AFKS), which closed up 5.24% or 0.63 points at 12.66. OZON (MCX:OZON) advanced 4.14% or 152.00 points to finish at 3,822.00, and VK Company Ltd (MCX:VKCO) rose 3.99% or 9.15 points to end the day at 238.50.
On the downside, several major names weighed on performance. Rosneft PJSC (MCX:ROSN) slipped 2.97% or 11.40 points to close at 372.10. PhosAgro PJSC (MCX:PHOR) declined 1.60% or 98.00 points to 6,019.00, and NOVATEK PJSC (MCX:NVTK) fell 1.46% or 15.40 points to 1,041.20.
- Advancing versus declining issues on the Moscow Stock Exchange showed more falls than rises, with 162 stocks down and 79 up; 10 issues finished unchanged.
Volatility measures also moved during the session. The Russian Volatility Index - RVI, which reflects implied volatility in MOEX Russia Index options, rose 2.39% to 26.59, marking a new one-month high for the gauge.
Commodity markets showed notable moves. Gold Futures for August delivery fell 1.80% or 78.55 to settle at 4,284.85 a troy ounce. In energy markets, Crude oil for July delivery declined 2.84% or 2.59 to trade at 88.71 a barrel, while the August Brent contract eased 0.01% or 0.01 to 91.80 a barrel.
Foreign exchange rates were relatively stable for the ruble. USD/RUB was unchanged at 71.97, and EUR/RUB also held unchanged at 83.08. The US Dollar Index Futures ticked down 0.05% to 99.98.
The session presented a mixed picture: index-level gains were modest and concentrated in a few sectors and names, breadth favored declining issues, and option-implied volatility recorded a fresh one-month peak. Commodity prices, in particular gold and crude, moved lower during the trading day, while the main ruble FX pairs showed no change at the close.