Rouble firms slightly after finance ministry's FX buying plan

• The rouble was 0.1pc up against the dollar at 64.09 and was 0.3pc stronger versus the euro at 70.94.
• Russia's currency was also supported by reports that the United States and China were moving closer to a trade deal.
• Yields on Russia's 10-year treasury bonds, which move inversely to their price.

MOSCOW: The Russian rouble strengthened on Wednesday after the finance ministry announced lower than forecast daily purchases of foreign currency for the month ahead.

The finance ministry said it would buy 9.3 billion roubles ($146 million) worth of foreign currency between Dec. 6 and Jan. 14, down from 11.4 billion roubles the previous month.

In the whole month ahead, the ministry said it would buy 195.5 billion roubles worth of FX compared with 250 billion roubles predicted by a Reuters survey of analysts.

At 0938 GMT, the rouble was 0.1pc up against the dollar at 64.09 and was 0.3pc stronger versus the euro at 70.94.

Russia's currency was also supported by reports that the United States and China were moving closer to a trade deal, despite the heated rhetoric surrounding the talks.

Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was up 1.2pc at $61.6 a barrel.

Later on Wednesday in focus are the finance ministry's weekly treasury OFZ bond auctions, which usually prompt foreign investors to buy roubles.

Yields on Russia's 10-year treasury bonds, which move inversely to their price, fell to an 11-year low of 6.31pc in November, after a fourth key rate cut this year by the central bank, since rising to their current level of 6.43pc.

Russian stock indexes were up.

The dollar-denominated RTS index was 0.7pc higher at 1,424.1 points.

The rouble-based MOEX Russian index was up 0.5pc at 2,897.0 points.