Russia Seeks Some Stock Market Stability

The Russian stock market showed a tentative recovery on Tuesday, a day after a steep plunge prompted by the arrest and jailing of the head of the oil giant Yukos and Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov called for steps to stabilize Russia's financial markets. But one of the country's most prominent politicians warned the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky could destroy investors' trust in Russia and an influential lawmaker called on the Prosecutor General's office to open an investigation of an oil company that is soon to merge with Yukos. Khodorkovsky was jailed Saturday on charges of tax evasion, fraud and forgery. Many perceive the four-month investigation into Yukos oil and his other companies as an attack organized by some of President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites)'s associates to avenge the tycoon's political activities, including funding of opposition parties in the run-up to the Dec. 7 parliamentary elections. Yukos shares and the Russian stock market closed higher on Tuesday, but the boosts did not offset the losses of Monday's trading. Yukos gained 3.3 percent after falling 15 percent a day earlier, and the benchmark RTS index rose 4.93 percent against Monday's 10-percent plunge. Boris Nemtsov, a leader of the liberal Union of Right Forces party, suggested in a newspaper interview that severe damage had already been done.