MOSCOW, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The Russian rouble

strengthened against the U.S. dollar and other major currencies

on Tuesday as speculative pressure caused by new U.S. sanctions

against Russia's financial sector subsided.

By 0830 GMT, the rouble was up 0.5% at 106.50 against

the dollar and up 0.1% against the euro, according to

over-the-counter data from banks. The rouble was up 0.15% at

14.58 against China's yuan in trade on the Moscow Stock

Exchange.

"The volatility of the rouble has decreased, market

participants are recovering from the large-scale devaluation of

the national currency," BCS brokerage analysts said.

The rouble lost about 15% against the dollar in what many

analysts described as panic buying of foreign currency following

the U.S. sanctions on Russian banks, including Gazprombank,

which handles payments for Russia's energy trade with Europe.

In response to the rouble's fall, the central bank stopped

foreign currency purchases last week while officials, including

President Vladimir Putin, sought to calm markets, saying there

were no fundamental reasons for the rouble to weaken.

Trade in dollars and euros moved to the over-the-counter

market after Western sanctions in June targeted the Moscow Stock

Exchange. The central bank sets an official exchange rate for

both currencies based on data directly supplied by banks.

One-day rouble/dollar futures, which trade on the Moscow

Stock Exchange and are a guide for the over-the-counter exchange

rate, were flat at 106.65. The Russian central bank set an

official exchange rate at 107.18 to the dollar.

(Reporting by Gleb Bryanski; Editing by Arun Koyyur)