MOSCOW: The Russian rouble opened stronger on Thursday, buoyed by higher oil prices which were extending gains after data showed huge stock draw.
At 0701 GMT, the rouble was 0.2 percent stronger against the dollar at 64.0 and had gained 0.15 percent to trade at 72.0 versus the euro.
Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was up 1.8 percent at $48.8 a barrel, extending gains after industry data showed what might be the largest weekly drawdown in crude stocks in over three decades.
The activity of the forex market in general might be limited ahead of a European Central Bank meeting later in the day. The ECB is expected to respond to pressure for further easing by announcing an extension to its asset purchase programme by year-end, a Reuters poll showed.
Russian share indexes were also slightly up.
The dollar-denominated RTS index was up 0.9 percent to 1,015.1 points, while the rouble-based MICEX was 0.4 percent higher at 2,061.6 points.
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