Amsterdam equities finished the session higher on Friday, with the AEX index up 0.69% at the close to register a new one-month high. Sector strength was led by Basic Materials, Healthcare and Industrials, which collectively helped lift the market.
Among individual names, ArcelorMittal SA delivered the strongest performance on the AEX, jumping 4.70% or 2.40 points to end the day at 53.44. CVC Capital Partners PLC also advanced, adding 3.87% or 0.49 points to close at 13.14. Prosus rose 3.72% or 1.59 points to finish at 44.33 in late trade.
On the downside, Shell PLC recorded the largest decline on the index, sliding 5.56% or 2.16 points to trade at 36.72 at the close. IMCD NV lost 3.05% or 3.00 points to end at 95.40, and SBM Offshore NV fell 2.81% or 0.98 points to close at 33.94.
Market breadth in Amsterdam was tilted toward gainers, with 70 stocks rising compared with 29 declining, and 9 names finishing unchanged.
The AEX Volatility gauge, which reflects implied volatility in AEX options, was unchanged at 21.09, holding flat for the session with a reported 0.00% change.
Commodities experienced notable moves during the session. Crude oil for May delivery declined 12.54% or 11.87 to trade at $82.82 a barrel. Brent oil for June delivery fell 10.83% or 10.76 to $88.63 a barrel. By contrast, the June Gold Futures contract increased 1.80% or 86.56 to trade at $4,894.86 a troy ounce.
Foreign exchange and fixed-income related futures were little changed overall. EUR/USD was recorded as unchanged 0.11% at 1.18, while EUR/GBP was unchanged 0.03% at 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures moved lower, down 0.27% to 97.76.
Below are concise takeaways and considerations from the trading session.
- Index movement: AEX rose 0.69% to a one-month high.
- Leading sectors: Basic Materials, Healthcare and Industrials led gains.
- Notable stock movers: ArcelorMittal, CVC Capital Partners and Prosus were top performers; Shell, IMCD and SBM Offshore declined most.
- Commodities and FX: Sharp declines in crude and Brent; gold futures advanced; EUR/USD and EUR/GBP largely unchanged; US Dollar Futures lower.