The Russian stock market extended its gains at the start of trading on the Moscow Exchange (MOEX) on February 13, following a rally the previous evening sparked by news of a phone call between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, Interfax reported.
In the first minute of trading, the RTS and MOEX indices surged 6.6 percent from the previous day’s close. Shortly after, the MOEX index adjusted to 3,224.38 points, and the RTS to 1,080.03. By 10:33 a.m., the MOEX stood at 3,148.14 points, and the RTS at 1,057.31.
According to Kommersant, the total market capitalization of Russian stocks, as measured by the MOEX index, reached 7.05 trillion rubles ($82.9 billion) by 9:00 a.m., adding 0.5 trillion rubles ($5.5 billion) since the close of trading on February 12.
Shares of major Russian companies posted strong gains, with Novatek rising 9.6 percent, Gazprom 8.4 percent, Rostelecom 8.2 percent, Aeroflot 8.2 percent, Rosneft 7.6 percent, Sberbank 7.5 percent, and Lukoil 6.9 percent.
Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar fell to 89 rubles on the Forex market, its lowest level since September 2024.
Ekaterina Krylova, managing expert at the PSB Analytics and Expertise Center, attributed the market rally to renewed “geopolitical optimism” following the Putin-Trump conversation, RBC reported. Yaroslav Kabakov, the strategy director at Finam, echoed that assessment.
“The discussion of a settlement in Ukraine and Trump's statements about a ‘peaceful resolution’ have bolstered investor hopes for de-escalation,” Kabakov said. “Analysts see the potential for restoring international transactions, which is critical for export-oriented companies.”