MOSCOW, July 8 (Reuters) - The Russian rouble weakened

slightly against the dollar on Monday, continuing its downward

trend under pressure from reduced foreign currency inflows at

the start of the month, after surprise strengthening at the end

of last week.

By 0725 GMT, the rouble was 0.3% lower at 88.20

against the dollar.

The rouble has weakened steadily since late June, coinciding

with reduced foreign currency supply from exporters who usually

convert FX revenues into roubles to meet local liabilities

towards the end of each month.

Sanctions on Moscow Exchange and its clearing

agent, the National Clearing Centre (NCC), led to a range of

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 weakened by 0.3% to 12.00, according to an

analysis of the OTC market.

It was down 0.1% at 95.52 against the euro.

Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's

main export, was down 0.4% at $86.17 a barrel.