Russian stocks closed in negative territory on Monday, with the MOEX Russia Index retreating 1.29% at the Moscow close. Weakness in the Mining, Power and Oil & Gas sectors underpinned the decline, as a clear majority of listed issues finished the session lower.
At the session's end, PIK SHb PJSC (MCX:PIKK) was the session's top performer on the MOEX Russia Index, rising 3.67% - an increase of 17.40 points - to finish at 491.50. Aeroflot PJSC (MCX:AFLT) also advanced, adding 0.74% or 0.37 points to close at 50.45. GDR ROS AGRO PLC ORD SHS (MCX:AGRODR) was unchanged on the day at 1,083.80.
On the downside, Magnitogorskiy Metallurgicheskiy Kombinat PAO (MCX:MAGN) led losses, dropping 3.97% or 1.14 points to end at 27.60. Surgutneftegas PJSC Pref (MCX:SNGS_p) declined 3.95% - down 1.93 points - to close at 46.87. OZON (MCX:OZON) slid 3.25%, a fall of 146.50 points, to finish at 4,361.00.
Decliners outnumbered advancers on the Moscow Stock Exchange by 205 to 42, with an additional 6 issues finishing unchanged. GDR ROS AGRO PLC ORD SHS (MCX:AGRODR) remained flat at 1,083.80 and was noted as unchanged to 52-week lows at that price.
Market sentiment indicators were mixed. The Russian Volatility Index - RVI, which reflects implied volatility of options on the MOEX Russia Index, moved higher by 1.33% to 25.10, indicating a modest rise in expected near-term volatility among investors.
Commodity prices showed divergent moves in late trade. Gold Futures for June delivery fell 3.63% - down $167.30 - to $4,442.30 per troy ounce. In oil markets, crude oil for May delivery decreased sharply, down 9.53% or $9.36 to $88.87 a barrel. By contrast, the June Brent contract inched higher by 0.18% or $0.17 to trade at $96.67 a barrel.
On the foreign exchange front, USD/RUB was unchanged at 82.81 and EUR/RUB was unchanged at 95.16. The US Dollar Index Futures declined 0.55% to 98.91.
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