By Patrick Lannin
MOSCOW, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Russian debt and shares took a
fresh beating on Tuesday, with investors sceptical over the
government's chances of pulling the country back from financial
crisis.
Russian T-bill yields soared to 115-130 percent for long-
and medium-term paper from around 95-100 percent on Monday,
while the leading bourse index slid to levels not seen since May
1996. Oil shares were hit hard as world oil markets slumped.
Dealers and analysts said the spike in yields and slide in
prices took place in thin trade, suggesting a general lack of
confidence and willingness to support the market rather than a
mass panic selloff.
The key to the confidence crisis was worries that Prime
Minister Sergei Kiriyenko's rescue package would not be able to
pull off the awesome task of saving Russia from financial ruin
and a possible rouble devaluation, they said.
A $22.6-billion bailout led by the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) may be in the bag, but investors needed to see
concrete results from Kiriyenko, they added.
"It (the IMF package) was breathing space, it gives Russia
three to four months to get its act together and redress the
fiscal imbalance," said Alfa Bank chief economist Thierry
Malleret.
"Now there are fundamental worries about the Russian
government's ability to do that compounded with the situation in
emerging markets at large," he said.
"Both external and internal factors are playing against
Russia," Malleret said.
The backdrop is currency and share turbulence the world
over, a big disincentive to put funds into Russia's emerging
markets, analysts said.
Russian GKO treasury bill yields have taken the brunt of
investor worries, pushing up at one point during Tuesday's trade
to 130-137 percent for 1999 maturities.
Shares also suffered, although again volumes were low, with
the benchmark RTS1-Interfax share index <.IRTS> down 9.45
percent at 109.48, a level not seen since May 1996.
Leading shares took the index down, with electricity grid
UES <EESR.RTS> trading at $0.0885, a 11.9 percent fall from
Monday's $0.1004 close while oil firm LUKOil <LKOH.RTS> was down
19.9 percent at $5.00 versus $6.24.
Tom Adshead, head of equity research at United Financial
Group, said some investors were interested in buying but that
this was quashed by an overall sense that the market had some
way to go before reaching its lowest levels.
"Noone really knows where the market ought to be," said
Adshead, adding that the bourse may bottom out around October.
"People want a feeling that the government is coming around
and achieving what it said it was going to do," he said.
Russia's dollar debt, traded as PRINs <RUSPRIN=RR>, also
slid to fresh lows, quoted at 26.625 versus 32-1/8 Monday.
The rouble also traded outside the mini-band set by the
central bank at 6.2360/6.2940. The spot rouble was quoted at
6.3010/6.3040.
((Moscow newsroom +7095 941 8520,
moscow.newsroom@reuters.com))
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