Belgian equities finished the session in positive territory on Thursday, with the benchmark BEL 20 index closing up 1.06%.
Market close
At the Brussels close the BEL 20 added 1.06%. Sectors contributing to the upward move included Consumer Goods, Utilities and Healthcare, which underpinned the day’s gains across the index.
Top gainers
- Argen-X (EBR:ARGX) led the panel, rising 4.43% - an increase of 33.20 points - to finish the session at 781.80.
- D’Ieteren NV (EBR:IETB) advanced 3.71%, or 6.20 points, to close at 173.50.
- Elia (EBR:ELI) added 3.64%, up 4.90 points, to end trading at 139.70.
Largest decliners
- Montea C.V.A. (EBR:MONTE) was the weakest on the BEL 20, down 1.78% or 1.20 points, to 66.10 at the close.
- Aperam SA (AS:APAM) fell 1.61%, a decrease of 0.72 points, to finish at 44.06.
- Anheuser Busch Inbev SA NV (EBR:ABI) declined 0.89% or 0.66 points, settling at 73.78.
Market breadth
On the Brussels Stock Exchange, falling issues slightly outnumbered advancing ones, with 47 stocks down versus 45 that rose; 15 stocks finished unchanged.
Commodities and currencies
Commodity prices moved higher in the session. Gold Futures for August delivery rose 1.11% - up 44.65 - to $4,053.45 a troy ounce. In energy markets, Crude oil for August delivery increased 1.72% or 1.21 to $71.55 a barrel, while the September Brent contract climbed 1.56% or 1.15 to $75.02 a barrel.
Foreign exchange rates were largely stable. EUR/USD was unchanged at 1.14 (0.21% change reported), and EUR/GBP was unchanged at 0.86 (0.17% change reported). The US Dollar Index Futures was reported down 0.27% at 101.11.
Takeaway
Thursday’s session closed with a modestly positive tone for Belgian equities, paced by selected gains in Consumer Goods, Utilities and Healthcare names and accompanied by higher commodity prices. Market breadth was narrow, with a slightly greater number of decliners than advancers despite the index-level rise.