Belgian equities finished the session higher on Friday, with the BEL 20 benchmark advancing 1.60% to close at a fresh record. Gains were led by stocks in the Financials, Industrials and Consumer Goods sectors, which collectively pushed the market upward.
The session's strongest performers on the BEL 20 included Ackermans & Van Haaren NV (EBR:ACKB), which climbed 3.86% - up 10.40 points to finish at 280.00. Umicore SA (EBR:UMI) added 3.66%, a rise of 0.80 points to 22.64 at the close. KBC Groep NV (EBR:KBC) also recorded solid gains, rising 3.38% or 3.75 points to end the day at 114.60.
On the other side of the ledger, Lotus Bakeries (EBR:LOTB) was the session's weakest name among the listed movers, slipping 0.68% - down 80.00 points to 11,700.00 at the close. Melexis NV (EBR:MLXS) declined 0.68% as well, losing 0.55 points to finish at 80.60. Anheuser Busch Inbev SA NV (EBR:ABI) was modestly higher, up 0.28% or 0.20 points to 71.28.
Market breadth on the Brussels Stock Exchange favored advancers, with 63 stocks rising and 32 falling; 10 issues ended unchanged.
Commodities displayed divergent moves during the session. Gold futures for August delivery advanced 2.81%, gaining 115.42 to trade at 4,229.42 a troy ounce. Energy contracts moved lower: crude oil for July delivery fell 3.51%, down 3.08 to 84.63 a barrel, while the August Brent contract dropped 3.71%, a decline of 3.35 to 87.03 a barrel.
Currency markets were relatively stable. The EUR/USD pair was essentially flat, changing by 0.05% to 1.16, and EUR/GBP was unchanged by 0.01% to 0.86. The U.S. Dollar Index Futures was down 0.08% at 99.77.
The session's moves left the BEL 20 at a new record closing level, supported by broad buying across several sectors even as commodity prices diverged. The mix of advancing and declining individual stocks highlights variation in performance within the benchmark.