MOSCOW: The rouble weakened on Wednesday, falling victim to lower oil prices and increasing risk aversion towards developing markets.
At 0730 GMT, the rouble was 0.3 percent weaker against the dollar at 66.75 but gained 0.1 percent to trade at 74.80 versus the euro.
Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was down 0.3 percent to $41.78 a barrel.
"The rouble remains under pressure," Mark Goikhman, an analyst at TeleTrade, wrote in a research note, adding that the currency's rate is driven chiefly by oil prices and increased risk aversion towards risky assets on global markets.
Analysts at Alor Broker said in a note that should the rouble weaken to 67 per dollar, it will likely head towards 69-70 roubles per dollar.
Russian stock indexes were also down.
The dollar-denominated RTS index was down 0.24 percent to 900.8 points, while the rouble-based MICEX was 0.1 percent lower at 1,910.7 points.
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