On Thursday, February 13, the official exchange rate of the ruble strengthened to a peak not seen since August 2024, following a phone conversation between Putin and Trump, as reported by the Central Bank.
In just one day, the Russian currency appreciated by 5 sums and 3 tiyin. It is now valued at 143.2 sums—the highest since August 12, 2024. From February 11, the ruble has strengthened against the national currency by approximately 10 sums.
Following a one-and-a-half-hour phone call between the presidents of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and the USA, Donald Trump, which took place the previous evening, the Russian stock market experienced a sharp increase. Specifically, the leaders instructed their teams to promptly initiate negotiations to resolve the armed conflict in Ukraine.
On February 12, the total trading volume on the Moscow Exchange reached 422.5 billion rubles (approximately $4.5 billion at the Central Bank's exchange rate)—a record since March 2022. The trading volumes during the evening session that day (237 billion rubles) and the morning of February 13 were also at their highest levels.
Forbes Russia reports that during the main trading session on February 13, the Moscow Exchange index surged by 7.3%, reaching 3247.68 points—the highest since the summer of 2024. Subsequently, the growth slowed to 5.5%, with the index at 3191.54 points.
Amidst this backdrop, the Central Bank of Russia significantly lowered the official dollar exchange rate from 94.08 to 91.03 rubles. During the course of the day, the dollar rate on the international Forex market fell below the 90 ruble mark for the first time since September 2024.
Previously, Spot reported that the Central Bank's dollar exchange rate had first exceeded the mark of 13 thousand sums.