'RTS index missed the desirable level by a hairbreadth last week, and the stock market might find itself between the rock and the hard place very soon,’ SKB-Bank’s Trading Operations Director Evgeniy Batuev said to UrBC.

'The earlier short-term forecasts regarding RTS index reaching 2,100 points by the end of the month failed to come true, even though it was not entirely wrong. The index rose by 5.38% between February 15, 2008 and February 26, 2008 and fell short of the predicted level by .2% on February 26-27, 2008,’ he added.

'However, stock prices started going down on February 28, 2008 after the arrival of some rather unpromising statistical data on the U.S. economy. These data are bound to keep affecting the stock market. At the same time, the oil prices keep growing as well, so the shares of Russian oil companies will surely be backed up nicely by this,’ Mr. Batuev said.

'On the whole, Russian stock market will probably have to face both the trouble coming from the U.S. macroeconomic factors and the good news at home. I’d like to think RTS index will restore its equilibrium soon enough’ he noted.