MOSCOW: The Russian rouble opened marginally firmer on Thursday, boosted by hopes of a massive new stimulus package following the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden who pledged to aid the economic recovery hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At 0739 GMT, the rouble was 0.2% stronger against the dollar at 73.40 and had lost 0.1% to trade at 89.03 versus the euro.

Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was down 0.3% at $55.90 a barrel.

Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, vowing to end the "uncivil war" in a deeply divided country reeling from a battered economy and a raging coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 Americans.

Markets are focused on a European Central Bank (ECB) policy meeting later in the day.

The ECB is widely expected by analysts to keep its easy money policy unchanged but hold the door wide open to further stimulus as the spreading second wave of COVID-19 dims an already weak outlook.

Russian stock indexes were up.

The dollar-denominated RTS index was up 0.5% to 1,494.1 points. The rouble-based MOEX Russian index was 0.4% higher at 3,481.7 points.