MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/. The MOEX index rose by 0.63% to 2,850.93 points by the end of the main trading session on Thursday, the dollar-denominated RTS index rose by 0.63% to 1,110.68 points. The yuan-to-ruble exchange rate rose by 4.25 kopecks to 11,237 rubles.
"The MOEX index showed growth on Thursday, especially at the beginning of the day, on positive expectations from the meeting of the heads of Russia and China. Trading volumes were expectedly low, given the official holiday in the country," said Alexander Shepelev, an expert on the stock market at BCS World of Investments.
The leaders of growth were shares of Gazprom (+2.09%), preferred shares of Bashneft (+1.87%), shares of Norilsk Nickel (+1.87%) and securities of Rosneft (+1.44%).
"The leaders of growth on the Russian stock market were Gazprom shares and Bashneft preferred shares (+2% each) in the context of Russian-Chinese high-level negotiations and expectations of dividends on Bashneft preferred shares," says Natalia Milchakova, leading analyst at Freedom Finance Global.
The leaders of decline by the end of the session were shares of Mosenergo (-1.73%), PIK Group securities (-1.14%) and PhosAgro securities (-0.86%).
"The leaders of decline were Mosenergo shares (-1.4%), possibly against the backdrop of the end of the heating season in the Moscow region," the expert believes.
Forecast for May 12
BCS World of Investments expects that on Monday the MOEX index will trade in the range of 2,800-2,900 points. The forecast for the dollar exchange rate is 81-83 rubles, for the yuan rate - 11.1-11.3 rubles.
Freedom Finance Global also expects that on May 12 the MOEX index will be in the range of 2,800 - 2,900 points. The yuan rate will fluctuate in the range of 11.1-11.6 rubles. The dollar rate will be around 81-83 rubles, the euro - around of 92-94 rubles.