Rouble, stocks near multi-month highs after U.S-China trade deal

• The rouble was 0.2pc stronger against the dollar at 62.80, heading towards the 62.15 level it briefly touched on Friday.
• The central bank's cautious stance on further rate cuts prompted some profit-taking in rouble assets.
• The rouble-based MOEX index was 0.2pc higher at 3,004.1, close to an all-time high of 3,009.1 hit in November.

MOSCOW: The rouble firmed on Monday towards last week's 18-month high against the dollar as investors digested an interest rate cut in Russia and improving prospects for an end to the trade war between the United States and China.

At 0727 GMT, the rouble was 0.2pc stronger against the dollar at 62.80, heading towards the 62.15 level it briefly touched on Friday, its strongest since mid-July 2018.

Versus the euro, the rouble eased 0.1pc to 70.01 per euro , stepping away from Friday's high of 69.48, its strongest level since March 2018.

Friday was among the most volatile days in months for the Russian currency, buffeted by international and domestic news.

The central bank lowered its key interest rate to 6.25pc amid slowing inflation and said further rate reductions were possible in the first half of 2020.

The central bank's cautious stance on further rate cuts prompted some profit-taking in rouble assets, Rosbank said.

The announcement on Friday of a "phase one" agreement between the United States and China, cooling their trade war, also boosted rouble volatility.

The deal reduces some U.S. tariffs in exchange for what U.S. officials said would be a big jump in Chinese purchases of American farm products and other goods.

Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was down 0.1pc on Monday at $65.15 a barrel.

Russian stock indexes were up. The dollar-denominated RTS  gained 0.4pc to 1,506.9 points after hitting 1,515.14 on Friday, its highest since March 2013.

The rouble-based MOEX index was 0.2pc higher at 3,004.1, close to an all-time high of 3,009.1 hit in November.