MOSCOW: The Russian rouble firmed slightly on Wednesday, heading away from three-week lows ahead of weekly auctions of Russian government bonds and the U.S. Fed interest rate decision.
The rouble gained 0.2 percent to 67.15 against the dollar as of 0811 GMT, moving away from 67.34 it hit on Tuesday, its weakest since Nov. 28.
The U.S. Federal Reserve is in focus as it is widely expected to raise rates at its meeting later on Wednesday, but may cut the number of hikes it anticipates next year and signal an earlier end to its monetary tightening.
Higher interest rates in the United States usually put pressure on emerging markets, such as Russia.
The Russian finance ministry is also on the radar as it is set to test the market appetite for its OFZ bonds at three auctions.
Demand for the bonds is a gauge of market sentiment, given uncertainty about whether Washington will impose sanctions on holdings of Russian state debt.
Against the euro, the rouble was 0.1 percent weaker at 76.53 .
Russian stock indexes were down, pricing in a rapid drop in oil prices, Russia's key exports.
Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was up 0.6 percent at $56.59 a barrel after falling as low as $55.89 on Tuesday.
The dollar-denominated RTS index was down 0.5 percent to 1,100.45 points. The rouble-based MOEX Russian index was 0.2 percent lower at 2,345.6 points.
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