Technical Analysis Of BRENT/RUB: 2018-05-23

 | May 23, 2018 04:02AM ET

In this review, we suggest considering the personal composite instrument (PCI) BRENT vs the ruble. It reflects the dynamics of the price change per barrel of Brent relative to the Russian ruble. Will BRENT/RUB prices rise?

The PCI declines when oil prices fall, and the ruble strengthens against the US dollar, and, on the contrary, it grows when oil prices rise, and the ruble weakens simultaneously. As a rule, the Russian currency strengthens with high oil prices and weakens with low prices. Because of this, BRENT/RUB prices tend to fluctuate near their moving average line. Now they have deviated from it by a historically maximal value and reached a record high. In other words, the ruble remains weak against the US dollar, despite the steady growth in world oil prices. The fluctuation of the PCI near the moving average line is due to the structure of Russian exports. Now it has not changed. According to customs statistics in January-March 2018, the share of fuel and energy products in Russian exports was 64.5%. It was approximately the same in the same period of 2017. The main factor hindering the strengthening of the ruble is the so-called "budget rule", according to which the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation buys currency at the expense of funds from budget surpluses at high oil prices. Theoretically, they are designed to smooth fluctuations of the ruble and make its rate less volatile than the price of oil.