MOSCOW: The Russian rouble weakened slightly against the dollar and China’s yuan on Wednesday in a thin market.
By 0745 GMT, the rouble was 0.6% weaker at 91.65 to the dollar, according to LSEG data.
Trading in major currencies shifted to the over-the-counter (OTC) market, obscuring pricing data, after Western sanctions on the Moscow Exchange and its clearing agent, the National Clearing Centre, were introduced on June 12.
One-day rouble-dollar futures, which trade on the Moscow Exchange and serve as guidance for the OTC market rates, were down 0.14% at 89.87.
The central bank’s official exchange rate, which it calculates using OTC data, was set at 90.69 to the dollar.
According to an analysis of the OTC market, the rouble weakened by 0.4% to 12.23 against the Chinese yuan, which has become the most traded foreign currency in Moscow.
Russian rouble flat against dollar
It was down 0.5% at 101.93 against the euro, according to LSEG data.
Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia’s main export, was down 0.1% at $77.07 a barrel on estimates showing swelling US crude inventories and expectations that tensions in the Middle East were easing.