Sweden's main equity gauge ended the trading day in negative territory on Friday, with sector-level weakness in Healthcare, Basic Materials and Financials contributing to an overall pullback.
At the close in Stockholm, the OMX Stockholm 30 index was down 0.97%.
Leading and lagging names
Among the 30 stocks in the OMX Stockholm 30, Evolution AB (ST:EVOG) was the session's top performer, rising 4.06% - an increase of 25.20 points - to finish at 646.20. Volvo, AB ser. B (ST:VOLVb) also posted gains, adding 1.54% or 4.90 points to end the day at 322.10. Telia Company AB (ST:TELIA) rose 1.03%, or 0.49 points, closing at 48.08.
On the downside, Svenska Cellulosa SCA AB B (ST:SCAb) was the weakest name in the index, sliding 4.09% or 4.50 points to 104.50 at the close. SAAB AB ser. B (ST:SAABb) fell 3.63% or 21.30 points to finish at 565.00, while Boliden AB (ST:BOL) lost 3.56% or 19.60 points to close at 531.00.
Market breadth and notable thresholds
Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, with 456 stocks falling versus 285 gaining. A further 54 shares finished unchanged. Shares of Svenska Cellulosa SCA AB B (ST:SCAb) dropped to a five-year low, falling 4.09% or 4.50 to 104.50.
Commodities and currencies
On the commodities front, crude oil for June delivery fell 2.71% or 2.60, settling at $93.25 a barrel. Brent crude for June delivery declined 0.81% or 0.85 to $104.22 a barrel. The June Gold Futures contract rose 0.46% or 21.50, trading at $4,745.50 a troy ounce.
In foreign exchange markets, the euro traded at 10.81 against the Swedish krona, with EUR/SEK down 0.06%. The US dollar weakened versus the krona as USD/SEK fell 0.37% to 9.22. The US Dollar Index Futures decreased 0.25% to 98.36.
What this means
The close reflected sector-led pressure from Healthcare, Basic Materials and Financials, with a majority of listed issues on the Stockholm exchange finishing lower. While a handful of large-cap stocks posted advances, overall market breadth favored falling names and some individual names reached notable lows by session end.