Russian rouble holds near seven-month highs

MOSCOW: The Russian rouble was steady on Tuesday, near seven-month highs it reached the day before thanks to month-end tax payments and investors' demand for Russian assets.

The rouble was unchanged at 64.36 against the dollar at 0737 GMT after reaching 64.14 the day before, its strongest since Aug. 8.

The rouble recovered to levels of early August, the time when it was falling amid renewed threats of U.S. sanctions against Moscow, as global sentiment towards risky assets improved, supporting demand for Russian bonds and stocks.

Versus the euro, the rouble eased 0.1 percent to 73.08 , down from Monday's 72.80, its strongest level since early August.

The rouble is "fairly valued" at current levels, said VTB Capital analysts. The Russian currency retains support from tax-related export flow that is likely to pick up in the coming days, they said.

Russian companies usually increase their conversion of foreign currency in the second half of every month to meet tax liabilities at home.

The finance ministry is in focus on Tuesday as it will announce details of its weekly auctions of OFZ treasury bonds that last week drew record-high demand.

The rouble's room for further gains and its chances for anchoring within a range of 62 to 64 versus the dollar remain questionable, said analysts at Rosbank, a Russian subsidiary of Societe Generale.

Russian stock indexes climbed higher, pricing in the global risk sentiment and an advance in prices for oil, Russia's key exports.

The dollar-denominated RTS index rose 0.5 percent to 1,218.9 points. The rouble-based MOEX was 0.2 percent higher at 2,489.1 points.