Russian rouble hovers near one-month high ahead of expected rate hold

At 0653 GMT, the rouble was steady against the dollar at 91.96, earlier hitting 91.8975, its strongest since March 27. All 26 analysts polled by Reuters this week expect the Bank of Russia to keep interest rates unchanged at 16%, with the gradual slowdown of inflation preventing the central bank from easing borrowing costs more quickly.

The Russian rouble hovered near a one-month high of around 92 to the dollar on Friday, ahead of a rate-setting meeting by the central bank at which it is widely expected to leave borrowing costs unchanged for the third time in a row. At 0653 GMT, the rouble was steady against the dollar at 91.96, earlier hitting 91.8975, its strongest since March 27.

All 26 analysts polled by Reuters this week expect the Bank of Russia to keep interest rates unchanged at 16%, with the gradual slowdown of inflation preventing the central bank from easing borrowing costs more quickly. The rouble had lost 0.1% to trade at 98.75 versus the euro and shed 0.1% against the yuan to 12.67 .

Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was up 0.5% at $89.41 a barrel.