Russia's MOEX Stock Exchange Plunges Nearly 30% on First Day of War

The Moscow Exchange (MOEX), Russia's stock market index, plummeted nearly 30% on the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Thursday, February 24th.

According to Yahoo Finance data, on Tuesday, February 22nd, the MOEX index stood at 3,084.74. However, by 5:20 PM WIB (Western Indonesian Time) on Thursday, February 24th, it had fallen by 29.55% to 2,173.19.

On Thursday, February 24th, the MOEX temporarily halted trading shortly after the market opened. However, trading resumed after a few hours.

According to *FinancialExpress.com*, on the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, no Russian asset was left unscathed. Investors in the Russian financial market massively withdrew assets from both stocks and bonds.

The Russian Trading System (RTS), an index of the 50 most actively traded Russian stocks in US dollars, also plunged 34.56%, from 1,226.69 on Tuesday, February 22nd, to 802.74 on Thursday, February 24th.

In addition to the punishment from investors, Russia is also awaiting sanctions from the European Union, which considers Russia's actions against Ukraine to be "barbaric."

According to *Reuters*, senior EU officials will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday, February 24th, at 7:00 PM local time (2:00 AM WIB on Friday, February 25th), to discuss financial sanctions against Russia and an aid program for Ukraine.

(Also read: [Russia Invades Ukraine, Ruble Plunges 13% Today])