On Friday, March 12, the Moscow Exchange index reached its highest level for the entire period of observation (since 1997).

During the trades, the key indicator of the Russian stock market rose by 0.9% and for the first time exceeded the mark of 3539 points.

The inflow of money into Russian securities increased against the background of the general optimism of world investors.

Mikhail Kogan, head of the analytical research department of the Higher School of Financial Management, spoke about this in an interview with RT.

According to him, players of the global stock market reacted positively to the approval of new economic stimulus in the United States.

So, on the eve of the President of the United States Joe Biden signed a package of financial assistance to the American economy in the amount of $ 1.9 trillion.

As Kogan explained, earlier investors were alarmed that the American stock market is growing faster than the US economy is recovering from the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Against this background, many players feared overheating on the US trading floors and the subsequent collapse of stock quotes.

This state of affairs could provoke a chain reaction and lead to a drop in the value of securities around the world.

“At the same time, the new stimulus package creates prerequisites for accelerating US GDP growth.

This should allay any concerns about the overheating of the US stock market.

Against this background, other markets, including the Russian one, will continue to remain on the growth trajectory, ”added Kogan.

According to him, high oil prices provide additional support to the Russian stock market.

Since the beginning of 2021, Brent crude on the ICE exchange in London has risen in price by almost a third and is now trading in the range of $ 69-70 per barrel.

At the same time, even at the auction on March 8, quotations briefly rose above $ 71 per barrel.

This happened for the first time since January 2020.

“The Russian securities market largely depends on the state of affairs in the oil industry.

Thanks to the latest OPEC + decisions, all conditions have been created to maintain a favorable situation with oil prices at least in March - April, ”the expert explained.

On March 4, the countries participating in the OPEC + agreement decided to leave the terms of the deal practically unchanged.

So, in April, Saudi Arabia will continue to reduce oil production by 1 million barrels per day.

At the same time, Russia and Kazakhstan will be able to slightly increase production by 130 thousand and 20 thousand barrels per day, respectively.

Recall that under the OPEC + agreement, oil exporting states specifically limit the production of hydrocarbons.

Thus, the countries are trying to achieve a balance between supply and demand in the global energy market.

According to experts, the policy of the alliance members should keep oil prices from new collapses.

In addition, the reporting of national companies for 2020 had a positive impact on the dynamics of the Russian securities market.

Natalya Malykh, head of the FINAM stock analysis department, shared this opinion with RT.

“Investor interest in shares is supported by good annual earnings reports - companies weathered the crisis better than expected.

Accordingly, good dividend prospects are opening up this season, ”the expert noted.

According to Mikhail Kogan, a temporary correction may occur in the global stock market in the coming months, which will also affect the quotes of Russian securities.

However, after that, the stock indicators will resume growth, the expert is sure.

So, in his opinion, in the absence of geopolitical risks by the end of 2021, the Mosbirzh index can reach 4000 points.

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According to experts interviewed by RT, the growing influx of Russians to the Moscow Exchange provides long-term support to the national stock market.

So, by the end of February, the number of citizens registered on the trading platform increased by 883 thousand people and reached 10.3 million people - the highest level in history.

According to Natalya Malykh, the interest of the population in the stock market is largely due to the higher yield on securities compared to bank deposits.

According to the Central Bank, over the past year, the maximum rate on deposits in the ten largest credit institutions fell from 5.15% to 4.53% per annum.

Under these conditions, citizens increasingly prefer to invest money in stocks and bonds to save money.

It is noteworthy that the increase in the number of Russians on the stock exchange noticeably supported the stock market during the pandemic.

Natalya Milchakova, deputy head of the Alpari information and analytical center, expressed this point of view in a conversation with RT.

“The massive inflow of money from individuals to the stock market allows to partially smooth out the negative effect of the withdrawal of funds by foreigners, which was associated primarily with the pandemic.

Investments of free money of Russians is one of the factors of market growth, which means that the demand for Russian shares is increasing, ”the expert concluded.