Dollar rate stable at special session

In the first half of this morning's US dollar session, the weighted average exchange rate amounted to 31.82 RUR/USD, thus remaining unchanged as compared to the previous level.

Commercial bank dealers link the stability of the US dollar rate for the fourth business day in a row since Wednesday, November 13, to currency interventions by the Russian Central Bank aimed at supporting the Russian ruble. Today's special session is not an exception in this respect; the Central Bank has been selling dollars actively in order to hamper an increase in the US dollar rate.

Indirect evidence of the Central Bank's participation in the morning session is a high trade volume; ten minutes after the UTS had opened, it overcame $50m.