Russian stock indices decline as main trading session closes on Moscow Exchange

MOSCOW, May 14. /TASS/. The MOEX Index fell by 1.33% to 2,658.84 points at the close of the main trading session, while the dollar-denominated RTS Index dropped by 1.06% to 1,145.21 points. The yuan shed 4.75 kopecks to 10.768 rubles. "After three consecutive positive sessions, the MOEX Index corrected downwards today," Andrey Smirnov, a stock market expert at BCS World of Investments, stated. "AFK Sistema shares (+3.8%) rose in a declining market without any corporate news, driven perhaps by market expectations of strong Q1 2026 IFRS financial results from the holding's subsidiaries, primarily MTS," Natalia Milchakova, leading analyst at Freedom Finance Global, said. According to her, PJSC Rosseti Centre and Volga Region (-7.2%) was the leading decliner. The expert saw no specific reasons for the drop, suggesting it could have been caused by the stock being overvalued. Freedom Finance Global expects the MOEX Index to move within the 2,650-2,750 range on Friday. The forecast for the dollar, euro, and yuan exchange rates stands at 72.5-75 rubles, 85-87 rubles, and 10.7-11.2 rubles, respectively. BCS World of Investments expects the MOEX Index to remain within the 2,620-2,720 range on Friday. "The forecast for the end of the week is 72-74 rubles per dollar and 10.65-10.95 rubles per yuan," Smirnov said.