The Central Bank said Monday that it had sent an order to the Moscow Exchange to halt trading in certain instruments in order to prevent possible manipulation of the equity futures market.
"In order to prevent possible pricing manipulation during the expiration of futures contracts on the RTS index … the Central Bank of Russia sent an order to MICEX (index) to suspend trading of financial instruments," the bank said in a statement.
The dollar-based RTS and the ruble-traded MICEX are part of the Moscow Exchange.
The Central Bank said the order was for the suspension of trading of a series of instruments for market participants whose actions have repeatedly influenced pricing when some futures contracts are expiring.
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