Ruble Drops First Day in Three on Japan Deficit, Greece Talks

The ruble depreciated against the dollar for the first time in three days as Japan’s trade deficit widened more than expected and Greece sought more time on policy changes, cutting investor appetite for riskier assets.

The Russian currency weakened 0.5 percent versus the dollar to 31.8849 by the close in Moscow and fell 0.4 percent against the euro to a three-week low of 39.7399. It slid 0.5 percent against the central bank’s currency basket, which is 55 percent dollars and 45 percent euros, to 35.4197.