08/11/1998 13:23:50 Russia RTS restarts share trade

MOSCOW, Aug 11 (Reuters) - The Russian Trading System (RTS),

the main electronic share dealing network, said on Tuesday that

it had received the approval of the securities commission to

restart trade after an earlier suspension.

A spokesman for the RTS said trade was restarted at 1248 GMT

after being halted following a fall in the bourse index of more

than seven percent from the open, triggering circuit breakers.

The spokeswoman said that the securities commission had

ruled that trade would be halted again if the index registered a

nine percent fall from the open.

The Russian bourse has been battered for several days as

investors worry the country will not be able to drag itself out

of its financial crisis and as emerging markets in general

slide.

By 1300 GMT, the RTS1-Interfax index <.IRTS> of leading

shares was down 7.54 percent from the open at 106.65 to register

an 11.80 percent slide since Monday's close.

((Moscow newsroom +7095 941 8520,

moscow.newsroom@reuters.com))