By Emre Gurkan Abay, Emir Yildirim, Anadolu Agency
The Russian ruble and the Moscow Exchange (MOEX) rallied following phone conversations between US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.
Analysts say the conversation between the presidents, as well as the two countries’ positive statements about ending the war in Ukraine, boosted Russian markets on Thursday.
The Russian ruble rose 2.69% against the US dollar, while the US dollar/Russian ruble parity fell below 92.
The MOEX climbed 6.56% and reached above 3,220 points, while the dollar-denominated RTS Index gained 6.56% to over 1,079 points.
Shares of leading Russian firms also increased. Sberbank shares rose 0.86%, Gazprom 2.9%, Lukoil 0.33%, and VTB 0.1%.
The total market value of the companies on the MOEX increased by about 500 billion Russian rubles (approximately $5.3 billion).
The Kremlin reported that the two presidents decided to continue being in contact during the 90-minute phone call.
Trump said he separately spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the phone about ending the war in Ukraine.
