ST. PETERSBURG, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The St. Petersburg Exchange has tightened trading rules for gasoline and diesel fuel, raising concerns among market participants about potential risks to Russia's domestic fuel market, local media have reported.
According to Interfax, the exchange on Wednesday tightened price fluctuation limits, capping upward moves for AI-92 and AI-95 gasoline, as well as summer and inter-season diesel, at 0.01 percent per trading step, down from a previous ceiling of plus 0.5 percent.
The downward limit remains at minus 10 percent.
Market sources described the new restrictions as unusually strict, suggesting that regulators may be anticipating risks to domestic fuel supply and pricing stability.
Fuel prices in Russia have been rising since late February, driven largely by escalating tensions in the Middle East, which have pushed up global energy prices and boosted exports of Russian petroleum products. ■
