With the 2018 FIFA World Cup set to kick off in Russia on Thursday with the home team facing Saudi Arabia, the increased fanfare could give Russian markets a boost.
This could be reflected positively in these five Russia ETFs: VanEck Vectors Russia ETF (NYSEArca: RSX), iShares MSCI Russia ETF (NYSEArca: ERUS), Direxion Daily Russia Bull 3x Shares (NYSEArca: RUSL), Direxion Daily Russia Bear 3x Shares (NYSEArca: RUSS) and Franklin FTSE Russia ETF (NYSEArca: FLRU).
The price action will take place mostly with RSX as it boasts the highest assets under management at $1,540.75 million and the most liquidity with an average volume of 9,254,600. ERUS comes in second with $454.47 million worth of assets under management and an average volume of 558,169.
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Russia-based businesses will certainly benefit, particularly those that cater to fans visiting from around the globe to watch the event. Sports memorabilia centered around the 2018 World Cup should attract an influx of revenue from fans spending on everything from apparel and other related merchandise.
A day before the event, four of the five aforementioned Russian ETFs are trading higher–RSX is up 0.87%, ERUS is up 1.49%, RUSL is up 2.53%, and ERUS is up 1.55% while FLRU remains unchanged.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has confidence in the strength of the national economy. e recently stated that Russia’s economy has risen out of a years-long recession, and hosting the World Cup will only be a boon for Russian markets this summer.
“We have entered a trajectory of sustainable economic growth,” said Putin. It appears that “growth in the near term is guaranteed,” he said.
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