How will the markets open on Monday?

Last week, the ruble strengthened against the dollar but fell against the euro. Rosstat reported 1.4 percent GDP growth in the first quarter of this year, below its planned figures. Inflation expectations of the population and analysts remain high

During this week, the dollar has been falling against the ruble. Now its price is less than 79.71 rubles. At the same time, the euro, on the contrary, has been growing. And now it costs 90.52 rubles. Will this trend continue? How will the ruble behave next week? And what is the mood on the market?

Investment strategist of Aricapital Management Company, associate professor of the Financial University Sergey Suverov comments:

Sergey Suverov, investment strategist at Aricapital Management Company, associate professor at the Financial University

According to the analyst's forecasts, the market will be under pressure from several negative factors throughout the next week. Firstly, there is no noticeable progress in resolving the Ukrainian-Russian conflict. This destabilizes the situation on the market. Secondly, the Russian economy is slowing down. GDP growth in the first quarter is at the level of 1.4%, according to preliminary data from Rosstat. And although the authorities insist that the cooling of the economy is manageable, the slowdown in demand and sales negatively affects the financial results of companies.

The market remains in a waiting mode on the geopolitical agenda, says T-Investments chief economist Sofya Donetsk:

Sofia Donetsk Chief Economist at T-Investments

Analysts also pay attention to the dividend factor of pressure on the market. Some companies refuse to pay dividends for the previous year.

Last week, market heavyweights Gazprom and Norilsk Nickel announced that they would not pay dividends. This also has a negative impact on investor sentiment.