MOSCOW: The Russian rouble was stable early on Monday, supported by end-of-month tax payments, but Moscow-listed stocks slid on downbeat investor sentiment ahead of the first U.S. presidential debate.
At 0737 GMT, the rouble was 0.1 percent weaker against the dollar at 64.15 and had lost 0.2 percent to trade at 72.07 versus the euro.
Russian firms are due to pay the mineral extraction tax, value-added tax and excise tax payments on Monday. Such large tax payments typically offer the rouble temporary support as exporters sell a portion of their forex revenues to accumulate the necessary amount of roubles.
The dollar-denominated RTS share index was down 1.3 percent to 980 points on Monday, while the rouble-based MICEX was 0.7 percent lower at 1,997 points.
Russian shares were also pricing in steep falls in oil prices on Friday which occurred after the trading session for equities had ended on the Moscow Exchange.
Among factors likely to move Russian assets this week, Rosbank analysts highlighted an informal meeting of OPEC oil producers in Algeria, the Monday evening debate between U.S. presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, and increased tension over the Syria conflict.
The OPEC meeting will set the tone for prices for oil, Russia's main export.
Crude oil benchmark Brent was up 0.5 percent on Monday at around $46.1 a barrel after Algeria's energy minister said all options were possible for an oil output cut or freeze at this week's OPEC meeting.
Global markets began the week under a cloud after losses on Wall Street on Friday.
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