Wall Street Slides as Warsh Fed Nomination, Hot Inflation, and Precious Metals Rout Shake Markets 
Oil Prices Slide Nearly 3% as U.S.-Iran Talks Ease Geopolitical Tensions 
U.S. Government Faces Brief Shutdown as Congress Delays Funding Deal 
Canada’s Trade Deficit Jumps in November as Exports Slide and Firms Diversify Away From U.S. 
Gold Prices Stabilize in Asian Trade After Sharp Weekly Losses Amid Fed Uncertainty 
Asian Currencies Hold Firm as Dollar Rebounds on Fed Chair Nomination Hopes 
Why Trump’s new pick for Fed chair hit gold and silver markets – for good reasons 
EU Recovery Fund Faces Bottlenecks Despite Driving Digital and Green Projects 
U.S.–Venezuela Relations Show Signs of Thaw as Top Envoy Visits Caracas 
China Home Prices Rise in January as Government Signals Stronger Support for Property Market 
China Factory Activity Slips in January as Weak Demand Weighs on Growth Outlook 
Gold and Silver Prices Plunge as Trump Taps Kevin Warsh for Fed Chair 
UK Employers Plan Moderate Pay Rises as Inflation Pressures Ease but Persist 
India Budget 2025 Highlights Manufacturing Push but Falls Short of Market Expectations 
Russia Stocks End Flat as MOEX Closes Unchanged Amid Mixed Global Signals 
U.S. Eases Venezuela Oil Sanctions to Boost American Investment After Maduro Ouster 
Japan Election Poll Signals Landslide Win for Sanae Takaichi, Raising Fiscal Policy Concerns 
Russian stocks closed weaker on Saturday as the MOEX Russia Index remained flat at 0.00%, marking a new one-month low. Market sentiment was mixed, with energy and financial stocks providing slight support, while construction and metals weighed on the index.
Transneft PJSC Pref (MCX:TRNF_p) led the session’s gainers, rising 0.22% to 1,292.00. Surgutneftegas PJSC (MCX:SNGS) followed with a 0.20% increase to 22.32, while Bank VTB PJSC (MCX:VTBR) added 0.18% to close at 76.00.
On the downside, PIK SHb PJSC (MCX:PIKK) dropped 1.94% to 590.60, posting the sharpest loss of the day. Aluminum producer OK Rusal MKPAO (MCX:RUAL) slipped 1.23% to 32.99, while fertilizer giant PhosAgro PJSC (MCX:PHOR) fell 1.17% to 7,033.00. Overall, declining stocks outnumbered advancing ones by 110 to 102, with 18 remaining unchanged.
Volatility spiked as the Russian Volatility Index (RVI), which tracks implied market swings, climbed 4.81% to 33.56.
In commodities, Gold Futures for December rose 0.35% to $3,686.40 per troy ounce, signaling ongoing investor demand for safe-haven assets. Crude oil prices also strengthened, with October WTI crude up 0.51% to $62.69 a barrel and November Brent crude gaining 0.93% to $66.99.
Currency markets saw the Russian ruble advance. The USD/RUB dropped 0.59% to 84.00, while EUR/RUB slipped 0.59% to 98.57. Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index Futures edged up 0.01% to 97.54.
The session reflected cautious investor sentiment, with global commodity trends and currency shifts adding further pressure to Moscow’s equity market.
