Russian shares finished the trading session marginally higher on Wednesday with sector gains in Power, Mining and Manufacturing supporting the overall advance. At the close in Moscow the MOEX Russia Index rose 0.08%.
Top performers
- Gazprom PJSC (MCX:GAZP) was the session's strongest large-cap, climbing 1.58% or 2.12 points to close at 136.40.
- Novolipetsk Steel (MCX:NLMK) added 1.48% or 1.46 points to finish at 100.18.
- Bank VTB PJSC (MCX:VTBR) rose 1.40% or 1.20 points to end the day at 86.76.
Lagging stocks
- Magnit PJSC (MCX:MGNT) led declines among notable names, slipping 1.76% or 56.50 points to 3,148.50 at the close.
- NOVATEK PJSC (MCX:NVTK) fell 1.63% or 22.60 points to finish at 1,361.50.
- AK ALROSA PJSC (MCX:ALRS) declined 1.53% or 0.57 points to 36.64 in late trade.
On market breadth, falling issues outnumbered advancing ones on the Moscow Stock Exchange by 126 to 113, while 14 stocks finished unchanged.
Notable low
Shares of AK ALROSA PJSC (MCX:ALRS) moved to five-year lows during the session, closing down 1.53% or 0.57 at 36.64.
Volatility and sentiment indicators
The Russian Volatility Index - RVI, which tracks implied volatility of MOEX Russia Index options, eased 4.43% to 23.73, indicating lower option-implied volatility compared with the prior session.
Commodities and currencies
- Gold Futures for June delivery advanced 2.29% or 101.40 to $4,535.50 a troy ounce.
- Crude oil for May delivery fell 1.15% or 1.06 to $91.29 a barrel.
- The June Brent oil contract slipped 0.03% or 0.03 to trade at $97.96 a barrel.
- USD/RUB was unchanged at 81.00, and EUR/RUB was unchanged at 93.62, both showing 0.00% movement.
Macro proxy
The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.25% at 99.50, a modest move in the broader currency complex.
Overall, the session showed modest upward pressure on the headline index while breadth favored declines. Commodity prices and currency levels displayed mixed dynamics, with gold notably higher even as oil prices edged down.