MOSCOW, July 18 (Reuters) - The Russian rouble

strengthened against the dollar on Thursday, helped by rising

oil prices and a weakening dollar.

By 1030 GMT, the rouble was 1.0% higher at 87.60

against the dollar.

Sanctions on Moscow Exchange and its clearing

agent, the National Clearing Centre, led to varying prices and

spreads as trading shifted to the over-the-counter (OTC) market

on June 14, obscuring access to reliable pricing for the Russian

currency.

Against the yuan, which had already become the most-traded

foreign currency in Moscow before the latest sanctions were

imposed, the rouble was down 0.1% at 12.01, according to an

analysis of the OTC market.

It was up 0.3% at 96.50 against the euro.

Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's

main export, was up 0.7% at $85.75 a barrel, buoyed by a

bigger-than-expected decline last week in crude stocks in the

United States, the world's largest oil consumer.

The market is also expecting major Russian exporting

companies to start converting their foreign currency earnings

into roubles ahead of the monthly corporate tax payments on July

29. This conversion should provide further support for the

rouble.

(Reporting by Gleb Bryanski; Editing by Arun Koyyur)