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Russian stock indices in the green as trading on Moscow Exchange closes

The ruble-denominated MOEX Index rose by 0.54%, while dollar-denominated RTS Index increased by 0.04%

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Russian stock indices ended the trading session on Monday with upward dynamics, according to market data.

The MOEX Index rose 0.54% to 2,825 points by the end of Thursday's main trading session, while the dollar-denominated RTS Index edged up 0.04% to 1,138.17 points. The yuan rate rose 12 kopecks to 11.4 rubles.

"Upward dynamics of the MOEX Index resumed today. <…> the Federal Statistics Services’ inflation report confirmed the trend toward slowing price growth. On March 2, the annual rate fell to 5.75%. The weakening ruble has fueled a positive revaluation of exporter stocks," noted Alexander Shepelev, a stock market expert at BCS World of Investments.

"The top gainers were [shares of] MKB (+2.79%), VTB (+2.79%), and Sberbank (common shares (+1.29%) and preferred shares (+1.21%)," noted FG Finam analyst Alexey Kalachev.

The top decliners were [shares of] Severstal (-2.21%), Aeroflot (-2.16%), NLMK (-2.14%), MMK (-1.81%), and Rostelecom (-1.41%).

The BCS World of Investments forecast for the MOEX Index for Friday is 2,750-2,850 points. The ruble-to-dollar exchange rate forecast is 80 rubles, and the ruble-to-yuan exchange rate forecast is 11.5 rubles. Freedom Finance Global expects the MOEX Index to fluctuate between 2,800 and 2,900 points on Friday. The forecast for the dollar, euro, and yuan is 77-79.5 rubles, 90-92 rubles, and 11.2-11.6 rubles, respectively.

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