Russian share prices ended the trading session higher on Thursday, driven by strength in the Telecoms, Oil & Gas and Mining sectors.
At the close in Moscow, the MOEX Russia Index gained 0.31%.
The top performers on the MOEX Russia Index were Mobil'nye Telesistemy PJSC (MCX:MTSS), which rose 1.45% or 3.20 points to finish at 224.65; Novolipetsk Steel (MCX:NLMK), up 1.42% or 1.56 points to 111.08; and Severstal PJSC (MCX:CHMF), which advanced 1.21% or 11.60 points to close at 970.60.
Among the session's weakest names were Polyus PJSC (MCX:PLZL), which fell 3.77% or 101.00 points to 2,575.00; MMC NORILSK NICKEL PJSC (MCX:GMKN), down 2.18% or 3.50 points to end at 158.20; and ROSSETI PJSC (MCX:FEES), recorded at 1.87% or 0.00 points to 0.07.
Market breadth was negative: falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Moscow Stock Exchange by 128 to 111, while 14 issues finished unchanged.
The Russian Volatility Index - RVI, which tracks implied volatility in MOEX Russia Index options, declined 7.42% to 26.82.
Commodities moved lower during the session. Gold Futures for April delivery fell 3.03% or 154.54 to $4,943.96 a troy ounce. Crude oil for March delivery dropped 2.63% or 1.70 to $62.93 a barrel, while the April Brent contract slipped 2.59% or 1.80 to trade at $67.60 a barrel.
In currency markets, USD/RUB rose 0.17% to 77.22 and EUR/RUB increased 0.16% to 91.66. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.09% at 96.81.
These moves left the main Russian equity gauge modestly higher at the close, with notable dispersion among large-cap names across telecoms, metals and energy.