Belgian equity markets ended the trading session in positive territory, with sector strength in Basic Materials, Financials and Healthcare lifting the benchmark. At the close in Brussels the BEL 20 added 0.74%.
The session's strongest performer on the BEL 20 was Aperam SA (AS:APAM), which rallied 5.03% - a gain of 2.38 points - to finish at 49.74. Umicore SA (EBR:UMI) also posted a solid advance, up 3.42% or 0.67 points to close at 20.28. Syensqo SA (EBR:SYENS) rose 1.57%, adding 1.10 points to end the day at 71.05.
On the downside, Warehouses de Pauw Comm VA (EBR:WDPP) was the weakest name on the board, slipping 2.64% or 0.60 points to 22.14 at the close. Melexis NV (EBR:MLXS) fell 2.35% - a drop of 1.70 points - to close at 70.65, while Montea C.V.A. (EBR:MONTE) declined 1.02%, losing 0.70 points to finish at 68.20.
Breadth on the Brussels Stock Exchange favoured advancers: 51 stocks rose versus 35 that fell, and 16 issues ended the day unchanged.
Commodities and currencies
Precious and energy markets registered divergent moves. Gold futures for August delivery climbed 0.72%, gaining 29.05 to trade at $4,079.25 a troy ounce. In contrast, crude oil prices weakened: the September contract for U.S. crude declined 4.12%, down 3.80 to $88.39 a barrel, while the September Brent contract fell 4.62%, losing 4.65 to trade at $96.04 a barrel.
Foreign exchange rates were relatively stable. EUR/USD was effectively unchanged, moving 0.06% to 1.14, while EUR/GBP was unchanged by 0.14% at 0.85. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.10%, trading at 101.18.
Market context and takeaways
The session saw materials and cyclical sectors contribute materially to the BEL 20's gain, while select industrial and property-related names weighed on performance. Commodity price swings - notably the drop in oil and the rise in gold - accompanied the activity, as currency measures held broadly steady.