Support The Moscow Times!

Ruble Up Against U.S. Dollar, Despite Central Bank Forex Purchases

A board showing currency exchange rates is on display in Moscow. Maxim Shemetov / Reuters

The Russian ruble edged up against the dollar and euro on Friday after falling the previous day when the Central Bank announced it had started buying foreign currency to replenish its reserves.

At 08:20 GMT the ruble was 0.1 percent stronger against the dollar at 50.07 and 0.4 percent stronger at 57.00 against the euro.

The ruble fell sharply on Thursday in response to the Central Bank's decision to purchase $100-200 million in foreign currency each day, a sign it thinks the ruble has strengthened enough.

On Friday, the Central Bank said it had purchased $181 million in foreign currency on May 13, the first day of these interventions.

Analysts said on Friday that although the Central Bank's announcement had been negative for the ruble, the market reaction was proving relatively muted.

"It's worth noting how the pressure on the ruble has exhausted itself," senior Forex Club analyst Alena Afanasiyeva said in a note.

"Investors began to sell the Russian currency as a reflex reaction, but after analyzing the situation more deeply came to the conclusion that in fact replenishing reserves will serve to stabilize the Russia economy."

Analysts at VTB Capital said that the impact of the Central Bank interventions was marginal because of their small size. "However, sentiment-wise it creates a somewhat negatively skewed basis for the ruble," they wrote.

"Besides we suppose that pressure on the ruble might mount due to other factors: the looming increase in external debt redemptions, dividend payments and seasonally higher demand for FX from the population."

Russian stock indexes were stronger on Friday, following a rally on Wall Street on Thursday which has lifted global markets.

The dollar-based RTS index was up 0.9 percent to 1,064 points, while the ruble-based MICEX rose 0.8 percent to 1,691.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more