Stock Markets March 22, 2026

MOEX Closes Flat as Major Names Hold Steady; Oil Rises, Gold Falls

Index ends unchanged while select large-cap issues record no net movement; commodity and currency markets show notable activity

By Hana Yamamoto
MOEX Closes Flat as Major Names Hold Steady; Oil Rises, Gold Falls

Moscow's MOEX Russia Index finished the session unchanged at the close, with several headline names showing no price movement. Key commodity and currency benchmarks diverged: crude oil contracts climbed, gold futures retreated and the ruble strengthened against the dollar and euro. The intraday report cited sector leadership but did not specify which sectors were driving trade.

Key Points

  • MOEX Russia Index closed unchanged at 0.00%, with headline names AFK Sistema, Aeroflot and ROSSETI reporting no price change.
  • Commodities diverged: crude oil futures rose (May Brent and WTI contracts higher), while June gold futures declined.
  • Currency markets showed significant moves: USD/RUB fell to 83.13 and EUR/RUB to 96.18, while the US Dollar Index Futures was up at 99.46.

Russia's equity market ended the session with little net change on Sunday as the MOEX Russia Index closed unchanged at 0.00% in Moscow. The market report noted that sectors led shares but did not specify which sectors were responsible for the movement.

Top movers and breadth

The session's top performers on the MOEX Russia Index were AFK Sistema PJSC (MCX:AFKS), which was unchanged 0.00% or 0.00 points to trade at 13.08 at the close; Aeroflot PJSC (MCX:AFLT), unchanged 0.00% or 0.00 points to end at 50.08; and ROSSETI PJSC (MCX:FEES), unchanged 0.00% or 0.00 points to 0.07 in late trade.

Those same names also appeared in the list of the session's worst performers, listed with identical closing values: AFK Sistema PJSC unchanged 0.00% or 0.00 points to trade at 13.08 at the close, Aeroflot PJSC unchanged 0.00% or 0.00 points to end at 50.08, and ROSSETI PJSC unchanged 0.00% or 0.00 points to 0.07.

Market breadth, as reported for the Moscow Stock Exchange, recorded falling stocks outnumbering advancing ones by 0 to 0.

Notable equity detail

Shares in Aeroflot PJSC (MCX:AFLT) were reported unchanged to 52-week lows; unchanged 0.00% or 0.00 to 50.08. The same description of Aeroflot's movement to 52-week lows was repeated in the session summary.

Volatility and commodities

The Russian Volatility Index - RVI, which measures the implied volatility of MOEX Russia Index options, was unchanged 0.00% to 24.77.

In commodities trading, Gold Futures for June delivery fell 0.67% or 30.80 to $4,609.60 a troy ounce. Crude oil for delivery in May rose 2.27% or 2.18 to hit $98.32 a barrel, while the June Brent oil contract gained 3.26% or 3.54 to trade at $106.41 a barrel.

Currency and FX

Currency pairs showed notable moves: USD/RUB was down 3.51% to 83.13, while EUR/RUB fell 3.66% to 96.18. The US Dollar Index Futures was reported up 0.40% at 99.46.

Context and limitations

The market summary contains limitations in detail: it referenced sector-led movement without identifying the sectors involved. Aside from the unchanged large-cap names, the session featured divergent activity across commodities and currency markets, while the equity volatility gauge remained steady.


Note: The market figures and company quotes above are as reported at the close.

Risks

  • The market update did not specify which sectors led share movement, leaving the equity drivers unclear - this uncertainty affects interpretation of sector-level exposures.
  • Concentration of unchanged prices among large-cap names may obscure underlying market dynamics and limit price discovery.
  • Significant currency moves in USD/RUB and EUR/RUB introduce exchange-rate uncertainty for market participants and counterparties.

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