MOSCOW, July 18. /TASS/. The Russian stock indices were growing in the course of trading on the Moscow Exchange on Thursday.
By the end of the main session, the MOEX index grew by 1.13% to 2,980.62 points, the dollar-denominated RTS index went up by 1.38% to 1,068.51 points.
The yuan-to-ruble exchange rate increased by 0.025% to 12.028 rubles.
The external background was calm, investment strategist at BCS World of Investments Alexander Bakhtin noted.
"The European Central Bank, as expected, left interest rates unchanged. The regulator noted that price pressure remains high. In the US, the number of initial applications for unemployment benefits over the past week unexpectedly exceeded analysts’ forecast, amounting to 243,000," the expert said.
On Thursday, the leaders of growth were Fix Price receipts (+7.45%), preferred and ordinary shares of Mechel (+4.31% and +3.3%), preferred shares of Bashneft (+4.16%), Seligdar shares (+3.99%), Severstal shares (+3.57%), Polyus securities (+0.58%) .
The leaders of decline were preferred and ordinary shares of Surgutneftegas (-18.21% and -0.22%), preferred shares of Transneft (-8.07%), receipts of Rusagro (-3.56 %), Acron shares (-0.71%), Solidcore shares (-0.48%), Etalon receipts (-0.31%).
According to BCS World of Investments, on Friday, July 19. the MOEX index will trade in the range of 2,950 - 3,050 points, the yuan-to-ruble rate will be 11.9-12.1, the dollar-to-ruble rate will be in the range of 87.5-89.5 rubles.
Freedom Finance Global expects that tomorrow the MOEX index will fluctuate in the corridor of 2,950 - 3,050 points, the dollar-to-ruble rate will be in the range of 87.50-89.00 rubles, the euro-to-ruble rate will be in the range of 95.00-97.00 rubles, the yuan-to-ruble rate will be the range of 12.00-12.35 rubles.