The optimal solution: how to buy stocks without parting with the currency

The years of the transition of the national economy to capitalist rails taught the Russians not to trust the Russian ruble by investing savings in foreign currency. Thus, in the crisis of 1998, after the declaration of default, the ruble exchange rate against the US dollar weakened several times over a short period (from 6 to 24 rubles / $). The next wave of devaluation of the national currency came in the crisis year of 2008, and the last serious shock in the foreign exchange market occurred in 2014, when, against the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions and a collapse in oil prices, the rate soared from 35 to 80 rubles per US dollar.
Thus, the Russians, who in recent years have preferred to purchase the US dollar, were able to both save capital from impairment and earn good money. The “bought and hold” strategy with respect to the US dollar allowed some Russians, depending on the start date of currency purchases, to increase the amount of capital at least twice (and those who bought the dollar in the late 1990s for 6-7 rubles could easily have increased the amount of investment ).
However, even good instruments, and foreign currency is not an exception here, it does not always bring profit. For example, since the beginning of the year, the US dollar fell against the ruble by more than 8.5% (according to the Moscow Exchange data on May 23, 2016), and from its 86-ruble peak in January 2016, the “American” fell by more than 22% . At the same time, from mid-March, the dollar / ruble exchange rate is in a wide trading range of 65-70 rubles, without the strength to overcome its lower limit.



Further prospects for the US currency look foggy. Analysts of Otkritie Broker predict that in the coming years, a moderate increase in Fed rates will lead to a prolonged decline in the US dollar. “Our recommendation for selling the dollar to major currencies remains in force, although on the annual horizon we are moving the sale of the dollar from aggressive to moderate,” the company’s strategy says.
The slight strengthening of the dollar against the ruble, which has been happening recently, is considered by many market participants as a technical correction, expecting further strengthening of the Russian currency. A positive view on the ruble contributes to the normalization of the situation on the oil market and the general economic situation in the Russian Federation.
Will the ruble continue to strengthen or will the US dollar take a revenge after a short respite? Time will tell. But be that as it may, financial experts do not recommend “keeping all eggs in one basket” (in our case, in currency). To avoid possible risks to capital, it must be diversified.
For example, through the purchase of instruments of the Russian stock market. In the second quarter, the broader market index MICEX updated its historical maximum of 1976 points (in January-May growth was more than 6%), and the shares of many Russian companies showed impressive profitability. For example, over the past six months, shares of FGC UES went up by more than 80%, Inter RAO - by more than 60%, Bashneft - by more than 50%, and the yield of a number of blue chips was about 10-40 % The result is impressive, and by the end of the year, Russian indices and securities can add more.
According to Otkritie Broker analysts, many risks to the economy and financial markets have already been realized (geopolitics, the lifting of sanctions against Iran, the rhetoric of the Fed and others), and now we can talk about the beginning of a long-term upward trend in Russian assets: shares do not change - we still consider the sectors of chemistry and petrochemistry, shares of producers of precious metals and stones, agricultural holdings are potentially the most interesting stories on the Russian market. ” Among the liquid securities with high growth potential, analysts highlight the securities of Rossety, Bashneft, LUKOIL, MTS, AFK Sistema, NOVATEK. Of course, among the securities of the first and second "tier" there are still many attractive papers.
Clients of Otkritie Broker, who have currency in their investment portfolio, have recently been able to use US dollars as collateral when making transactions on the Moscow Exchange stock market. The new service is an optimal balance for the investor, allowing you to keep the bulk of savings in the currency of the world's largest economy, but at the same time providing the opportunity to trade ruble-denominated stock assets.
Using currency as collateral for transactions in the stock market, you can implement both speculative and investment strategies. Speculators will appreciate that the broker does not charge for the use of borrowed funds when trading under the provision of USD within a day. And if there are no rubles or securities on the brokerage account to ensure settlement of the transaction, the broker’s payment will be, depending on the tariff plan used , from 16.5% per annum for borrowed rubles and from 12.2% for securities. Trading within this service is possible through the QUIK functional trading platform, and in the near future through the MetaTrader 5 application, which is popular with traders.
It doesn’t matter if you have currency savings or not, you need a brokerage account to buy shares of Russian companies. The process of registration requires minimal effort. Having registered on the portal Gosuslug, you can open a brokerage account remotely . Those who are not yet registered in the ESIA (Unified Identification and Authentication System) can fill out an application for consultation or paperwork at the Otkritie Broker office.

Otkritie Broker JSC: license of a professional participant in the securities market for brokerage activities No. 045-06097-100000, issued by the Federal Securities Commission of Russia on June 28, 2002 (without expiration date).