Stocks on Finland's main bourse finished the trading session higher, with the OMX Helsinki 25 registering a 1.39% gain at the close. Sector momentum was concentrated in Telecoms, Utilities and Consumer Services, which together helped lift the benchmark.
Top movers
- Qt Group Oyj (HE:QTCOM) led the index, rising 4.56% - an increase of 1.04 points - to close at 23.84.
- Nokia Oyj (HE:NOKIA) added 4.37%, up 0.51 points, to finish at 12.30.
- Fortum Oyj (HE:FORTUM) advanced 2.86%, a gain of 0.56 points, ending the session at 19.97.
Largest decliners
- Kemira Oyj (HE:KEMIRA) was the weakest among the index constituents, slipping 2.00% or 0.35 points to 17.13 at the close.
- Huhtamaki Oyj (HE:HUH1V) fell 1.25%, down 0.34 points, to 26.80.
- Nokian Renkaat Oyj (HE:TYRES) retreated 1.05%, losing 0.13 points to end at 12.30.
Market breadth was nearly even. On the Helsinki Stock Exchange, rising issues slightly outnumbered decliners - 85 stocks closed higher while 84 finished lower, and 19 were unchanged.
Commodities and currencies
Commodities moved lower during the session. Brent oil for September delivery dropped 3.65% - down $2.92 - to $77.13 a barrel. U.S. crude for August delivery fell 3.23%, a decline of $2.45, to $73.40 a barrel. The August gold futures contract decreased 1.04%, or $44.20, trading at $4,201.70 a troy ounce.
Foreign exchange changes were modest. EUR/USD was unchanged, quoted at 1.14 with a listed change of 0.33%. EUR/GBP was also reported unchanged at 0.86, with a 0.43% notation. The U.S. Dollar Index Futures was up 0.14% at 100.76.
Market context and takeaways
The session featured a handful of strong performers lifting the headline index while a similar number of stocks declined, resulting in a close that reflected concentrated gains rather than broad-based strength. Telecoms, Utilities and Consumer Services were the sectors providing the most upward pressure on the market, while commodity price weakness was apparent across oil and precious metals contracts.
All percentage moves, point changes and price levels reported are as stated at the close.