Russian Trading System: Opportunities for Foreign Investors 
RTS Group encompasses two centralized stock markets – Classic and T+0 Market, the system of indicative quotation of securities RTS Board, FORTS (Futures & Options on RTS) derivatives market and over-the-counter FX market RTS Money.
RTS Classic Market is the only trading platform in Russia that allows for settlement in foreign currency. Access to RTS Classic Market is equally accessible by both Russian and foreign investors. The main advantage of the Classic market is the absence of the requirement to deposit securities and cash assets before the beginning of trading. This allows for the high efficiency of the trading process. However, the trading and settlement platform of the Classic market gives the maximum advantage to those market participants that operate with large lots of securities and trade high volumes. Trading in 8 "blue chips" is performed in the order-driven mode (orders can be submitted through the Gateway), other securities can be traded in the quote-driven mode (orders cannot submitted through the Gateway). The prices of the Classic market are quoted in US dollars and serve as the benchmark for foreign companies investing in Russian securities and depositary receipts. RTS Classic market data is used in calculation of RTS Index, the main indicator of Russian securities market.
T+0 market is more democratic- it is equally accessible to both large-scale and small investors through all kinds of Internet trading systems (orders are submitted through the Gateway). Trading is performed in the order-driven mode with full preliminary deposition on assets, settlement is conducted in rubles using the "delivery versus payment" technology. Over 400 securities (stocks, bonds and investment funds) trade on T+O market of joint-stock company "Russian Trading System" Stock Exchange. "Gazprom" stock also trades on St. Petersburg Stock Exchange. To develop liquidity in second-tier stocks T+O market has established the system of "exchange specialists" that maintain fixed quotes with narrow spreads in those securities that have a chance to become "blue chips".
The futures and options market (FORTS) gives all types of investors a widest range of possibilities to hedge risks on the securities and currency markets and to perform arbitrage in derivatives contracts. FORTS product line includes the contracts on RTS Index, "blue chips", interest rates, US dollar exchange rate.
Trading Data and Archives
Current RTS Group trading statistics can be found under Market Data. Trading results for Classic, T+0 markets and RTS Board quotation systems can be found in Market Data/Archives/Securities. Archives contain daily characteristics of each market (turnover, number of transactions, market capitalization, etc). Users can find data on each security traded on RTS Group markets for a certain day, for the preceding trading week, the preceding month or quarter. Archives also contain the history of daily changes for each security (prices, trading volumes, number of transactions, capitalization, etc.) Data can be found with the help of a ticker. Archives of the derivatives market, FORTS, are based on the same underlying principle. FORTS archives can be found under Market Data/Archives/Derivatives.
