Russian rouble down vs dollar as oil dips

MOSCOW: The Russian rouble weakened against the dollar on Friday due to a slide in oil prices in thin holiday trade as Russian stocks edged lower.

At 0925 GMT, the rouble was down 0.26 percent against the dollar at 56.98 and was 0.08 percent firmer against the euro at 68.64.

Russia's Christmas and New Year celebrations continue until Jan. 9, though trade in stocks, forex and precious metals resumed in Moscow on Wednesday.

Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was down 0.79 percent at $67.53 a barrel.

The dollar-denominated RTS index edged down 0.08 percent to 1,213 points. The rouble-based MOEX Russian index , previously known as MICEX, was 0.13 percent lower at 2,194 points.