MOSCOW, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The Russian rouble fell sharply past 92 to the dollar on Thursday to trade at its weakest in two weeks, unable to latch onto support from upcoming month-end corporate taxes.
By 1307 GMT, the rouble was 1.3% weaker against the dollar at 92.11, earlier hitting 92.8025, its weakest point since Dec. 7.
It had lost 1.8% to trade at 101.45 versus the euro , a more than two-month low, and shed 1% against the yuan to 12.87.
Next week's tax period that usually sees exporters convert foreign currency revenues to pay local liabilities should boost the rouble, as does the relative recovery in oil prices, said Alor Broker's Alexei Antonov.
"However, the impression is forming that most major exporters have already accumulated the bulk of roubles for tax payments," he added, expecting the rouble to weaken towards the end of the year.
The rouble typically struggles in December as citizens tend to buy foreign currency ahead of Russia's long New Year holidays in January.
The Russian economy has found an equilibrium point between exports and imports, said First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov.
"Evidence for this is the rouble's stabilization in the region of 90 to the dollar," Belousov said. "This is acceptable both in terms of exports, and in terms of the country's consumer and investment markets."
Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was down 1.6% at $78.44 a barrel.
Since October and the rouble's most recent slide to 100 against the dollar, a presidential decree forcing exporters to convert some foreign currency revenue has provided support, as have elevated interest rates.
The Bank of Russia said its rate-hiking cycle may be near completion as it raised its key interest rate by 100 basis points to 16% last week, increasing borrowing costs for the fifth consecutive meeting in response to stubborn inflation.
Russian stock indexes were lower.
The dollar-denominated RTS index was down 2.5% to 1,047.8 points. The rouble-based MOEX Russian index was 1.3% lower at 3,063.9 points. (Reporting by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Bernadette Baum and Mark Heinrich)
