MOSCOW: The Russian rouble firmed in early trade on Friday, recovering from two-week lows it hit the day before amid intensified concerns about sanctions against Russia after the West accused Moscow of cyber attacks.
Western countries issued coordinated denunciations of Russia on Thursday for running what they described as a global hacking campaign, targeting institutions from sports anti-doping bodies to a nuclear power company and the chemical weapons watchdog.
"The sanctions theme is back on the table: the United States, Britain and Netherlands have accused Russia of cyber attacks. Investors' mood can get worse amid this backdrop," BCS brokerages said in a note.
The rouble gained 0.6 percent to 66.63 against the US dollar as of 0727 GMT, heading away from 67.06, its weakest level since Sept. 19, which it hit on Thursday.
Against the euro, the rouble was 0.6 percent firmer at 76.68 .
Apart from geopolitical risks, the market is also closely watching the key US statistics data due to be released at 1230 GMT.
"Today, all eyes will be on the releases of US September non-farm payrolls, unemployment and average hourly earnings, which will likely be crucial for near-term dynamics of the EM FX space," VTB Capital said.
Prices for oil, Russia's key export, remained supportive for Russian assets. Brent crude oil was 0.6 percent higher at $85.06 a barrel.
The dollar-denominated RTS index rose 0.4 percent to 1,165.7 points, while the rouble-based MOEX was 0.05 percent lower at 2,463.7 points, pressured by rouble gains.
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