Belgian stocks finished modestly higher at the close in Brussels on Tuesday, with the benchmark BEL 20 advancing 0.13%.
Sector contributions were concentrated in Consumer Services, Healthcare and Telecoms, which together underpinned the modest uptick in the index. Among individual names, Argen‑X (EBR:ARGX) led the winners, while Melexis NV (EBR:MLXS) recorded the steepest decline.
Top gainers
- Argen‑X (EBR:ARGX) rose 2.14% - an increase of 17.00 points - to close at 813.00. The stock moved to an all‑time high in the session.
- Umicore SA (EBR:UMI) added 1.99%, or 0.44 points, to finish at 22.52.
- Anheuser Busch Inbev SA NV (EBR:ABI) climbed 1.92%, gaining 1.36 points to end the day at 72.20.
Largest decliners
- Melexis NV (EBR:MLXS) fell 4.41%, a drop of 3.75 points, to close at 81.25.
- Sofina (EBR:SOF) declined 2.74%, losing 6.20 points to reach 220.20 at the close.
- KBC Groep NV (EBR:KBC) slipped 2.63%, down 3.20 points to 118.35.
On the Brussels Stock Exchange overall, decliners outnumbered advancers: 53 stocks fell, 31 rose and 24 finished unchanged.
Commodities and energy
Precious metals and crude lost ground in the session. Gold futures for August delivery were down 1.16%, a decrease of 48.65, to $4,154.05 a troy ounce. In oil markets, crude for August delivery fell 0.99% or 0.73 to $73.13 a barrel, while the September Brent contract decreased 0.94%, or 0.73, to $76.79 a barrel.
Foreign exchange and indexes
Major currency pairs were subdued: EUR/USD was unchanged 0.40% at 1.14, while EUR/GBP was unchanged 0.09% at 0.86. The US Dollar Index Futures was firmer, up 0.35% to 101.15.
Overall, the session delivered a small positive move for the BEL 20, supported by select gains in service, healthcare and telecom names even as market breadth showed more declines than advances.