MOSCOW, October 17. /TASS/. The MOEX Index rose 4.35% to 2,721.14 points by th end of Friday's main trading session on the Moscow Exchange, while the dollar-denominated RTS Index rose 1.9% to 1,058.51 points. The yuan rate rose 18 kopecks to 11.38 rubles.
"The MOEX Index maintained its upward momentum on Friday, striving to hold above 2,700 points. The number one factor is geopolitics. The presidents of Russia and the United States spoke by phone yesterday and agreed to a face-to-face meeting in Budapest. Hopes for a de-escalation of the Ukrainian conflict have been revived. Donald Trump stated that now is "not the best time" for anti-Russian sanctions. Another factor supporting stocks is the return of the ruble's weakening," noted Alexander Shepelev, a stock market expert at BCS World of Investments.
"The leading gainers on the Russian stock market were shares of the Pozitiv Group (+5%), possibly in anticipation of government support for Russian software makers," noted Natalia Milchakova, a leading analyst at Freedom Finance Global.
The leading decliners, according to her, were shares of alcoholic beverage producer Novabev (-6%), possibly amid reports of a sharp decline in alcohol production in Russia for the first nine months of 2025.
The BCS World of Investments forecast for the MOEX Index for October 20 is 2,650-2,770 points. The forecast for the dollar to ruble exchange rate is 80-83 rubles, and for the yuan rate - 11-11.5 rubles.
According to Freedom Finance Global, the MOEX Index will fluctuate between 2,650 and 2,750 points on Monday. The forecast for the dollar, euro, and yuan exchange rates is 80-82 rubles, 93-95 rubles, and 11.2-11.6 rubles, respectively.