Brussels equity markets ended the session higher, with sector strength in Consumer Goods, Basic Materials and Healthcare lifting the benchmark. The BEL 20 index closed up 1.18%.
At the individual stock level, the session saw notable winners and laggards. D’Ieteren NV (EBR:IETB) outpaced peers, gaining 6.46% - an 11.30 point rise to finish at 186.10. Umicore SA (EBR:UMI) added 4.63% - up 0.79 points to close at 17.85, while UCB SA (EBR:UCB) rose 4.03%, increasing 10.20 points to 263.10.
On the downside, real estate names and a major brewer recorded the largest falls. Cofinimmo SA (EBR:COFB) led decliners with a 3.93% drop, down 3.50 points to 85.60 at the close. Aedifica (EBR:AOO) declined 3.66%, or 2.80 points, closing at 73.60. Anheuser Busch Inbev SA NV (EBR:ABI) slipped 1.71%, a 1.12 point fall to 64.48.
Market breadth in Brussels favored advances, with 61 stocks rising against 32 that fell; 11 issues finished unchanged.
Commodities and currency benchmarks recorded mixed moves that accompanied the equity session. Gold Futures for April delivery rose 0.74%, gaining 38.01 to trade at 5,161.71 a troy ounce. In oil markets, crude for April delivery fell 0.50% - down 0.37 to $74.19 a barrel, while the May Brent contract slipped 0.39%, or 0.32, to $81.08 a barrel.
Major FX pairs saw small shifts. EUR/USD was unchanged, quoted 0.27% to 1.16, while EUR/GBP was unchanged 0.18% to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures moved lower, down 0.28% to 98.73.
Overall, the session reflected broad-based strength in key sectors but also contained pockets of weakness among real estate and consumer staples names. The combination of commodity moves and mild currency adjustments accompanied the equity advances.