UK Housing Market Slows Amid Geopolitical Tensions and Mortgage Rate Fears 
U.S.-Israel War on Iran Sends Crude Oil Prices Surging Amid Strait of Hormuz Tensions 
Asia FX Steady as Iran War Signals and U.S. Inflation Data Weigh on Sentiment 
U.S. Futures Slide as Oil Prices Surge on Middle East Shipping Attacks 
IEA Plans Record Emergency Oil Release Amid Iran Strait of Hormuz Crisis 
Gold Prices Slip as U.S.-Israel-Iran War Fuels Dollar and Oil Demand 
Asian Stock Markets Rise as Oil Prices Pull Back; U.S. CPI in Focus 
Dollar Strengthens Amid Oil Price Surge and Inflation Fears 
Chinese AI Stocks Surge as Tencent, MiniMax, and Zhipu Launch Agentic AI Programs 
Venezuela Names Paula Henao as New Oil Minister Amid U.S.-Led Industry Overhaul 
Bank of Japan Expected to Hold Rates at 0.75% Before June Hike Amid Middle East War Uncertainty 
IEA Releases Record 400 Million Barrels of Oil Amid U.S.-Iran War 
Oil Prices Surge Toward $100/Barrel After Tanker Attacks in Iraqi Waters 
German Exports Drop 2.3% in January, Exceeding Forecast Decline 
Asian Currencies Face Pressure as U.S.-Iran Conflict Weighs on Markets 
Dollar Steadies as Traders Await Clarity on U.S.-Israel-Iran War 
Diesel Price Surge Threatens Global Economy Amid Middle East Conflict 
Russian stocks finished Saturday’s trading session slightly lower overall, with the benchmark MOEX Russia Index closing unchanged at 0.00% in Moscow. Market sentiment remained cautious as investors weighed mixed performances across key sectors alongside movements in commodities and foreign exchange markets. Despite limited index movement, individual stocks posted notable gains and losses, reflecting selective investor interest rather than broad-based momentum.
Among the best-performing stocks on the MOEX Russia Index was Federal Hydro Generating Company RusHydro PJSC (MCX: HYDR), which advanced 1.28% to close at 0.43. OZON (MCX: OZON) also showed strength, rising 0.81% to finish at 4,689.50, while ROSSETI PJSC (MCX: FEES) ended the session unchanged at 0.08, effectively flat but still counted among the day’s relatively stronger names. These gains highlighted ongoing interest in utilities and select technology-linked stocks within the Russian equity market.
On the downside, NOVATEK PJSC (MCX: NVTK) was the weakest performer, slipping 0.22% to close at 1,175.40. Novolipetsk Steel (MCX: NLMK) declined 0.21% to 113.24, while Moskovskaya Birzha PJSC (MCX: MOEX) edged lower by 0.16% to 181.68. These modest declines reflected profit-taking and subdued demand in energy, steel, and financial services shares.
Market breadth was positive, with advancing stocks outnumbering decliners by 182 to 42, while 18 stocks finished unchanged. The Russian Volatility Index (RVI), a key measure of implied volatility for MOEX options, remained steady at 26.52, signaling stable near-term risk expectations.
In commodities trading, gold futures for April delivery fell sharply by 11.39% to $4,763.10 per troy ounce. Oil prices also moved lower, with March crude oil down 0.32% at $65.21 per barrel and April Brent crude declining 0.39% to $69.32. In currency markets, USD/RUB edged up 0.05% to 76.00, while EUR/RUB dropped 0.95% to 90.06. Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index Futures climbed 0.75% to 96.86, adding pressure to emerging market currencies.
