MOSCOW: The Russian rouble opened unchanged to the dollar on Wednesday and slightly firmed shortly afterwards, moving within a narrow trading band, propped by end-year tax payments, subdued speculative activity on the market and steady oil prices.
At 0748 GMT, the rouble was 0.09 percent stronger against the dollar at 58.71 and had gained 0.11 percent to trade at 69.49 versus the euro.
Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia’s main export, was up 0.25 percent at $63.95 a barrel. Russian stock indexes were slightly weaker. The dollar-denominated RTS index was down 0.18 percent to 1,132.58 points. The rouble-based MOEX Russian index , previously known as MICEX, was 0.37 percent lower at 2,110.32 points.
