Russia rouble firms vs dollar; stocks down after long weekend

MOSCOW: The rouble firmed on Monday after a three-day long weekend in Russia, pricing in a globally weaker dollar and higher oil prices.

The rouble gained 0.3 percent to 66.09 versus the dollar at 0742 GMT but eased 0.2 percent to 74.32 versus the euro.

The rouble is likely to spend this week in a range of 65.50-66.50 against the dollar, analysts at Promsvyazbank said in a note.

While the rouble is more driven by global risk appetite, its room for strengthening is limited at home by the central bank that has increased its daily FX buying on behalf of the finance ministry.

Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was up 0.46 percent at $66.04 a barrel, lending support to Russian assets.

Russian stock indexes, however, slipped. The dollar-denominated RTS index was down 0.1 percent at 1,178.26 points, while the rouble-based MOEX Russian index  was 0.2 percent lower at 2,472.1 points.