Euro rises above 90 rubles first time since February 2016

The euro rose by 0.98%, reaching 90.1 rubles on the Moscow Exchange on Monday.

The last time the euro was above 90 rubles in February 2016.

As of 13:15 Moscow time, the euro rate was at around 89.97 rubles (+0.83%), and the dollar rate grew by 0.92% to 76.13 rubles.

At the same time, the price of November futures contract for Brent crude oil on London’s ICE decreased by 1.78% to $41.9 per barrel. WTI crude was trading at $39.39 per barrel (-1.89%).

Russia and China to Reduce Use of US Dollar

Moscow and Beijing plan to use their own national currencies more often in trade deals, said Russian President Putin on Tuesday. “The Russian and Chinese sides confirmed their interest in using national currencies more actively in reciprocal payments,” he said at a joint news briefing with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping after talks at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in the Russian city of Vladivostok.

Putin said this would “increase the stability of banks’ servicing export and import operations while there are ongoing risks on global markets.”

Russia is increasingly looking to China for investment after a sharp decline in relations with the West after the 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and support for pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.

China is seeking allies amid growing criticism of its militarization of the South China Sea and continued accusations of human rights breaches and unfair trade practices.

President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday that Russia and China should work together to oppose trade protectionism and what he called unilateral approaches to international problems.

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