Belgian stocks ended the trading day lower on Friday, with the benchmark BEL 20 index closing down 0.35% in Brussels. Sector weakness in Consumer Services, Technology and Basic Materials was the principal force behind the decline.
Among the BEL 20 constituents, UCB SA (EBR:UCB) was the top performer, finishing 3.07% higher - up 7.50 points - to close at 251.70. Ackermans & Van Haaren NV (EBR:ACKB) added 0.97%, rising 2.60 points to 271.80, while KBC Groep NV (EBR:KBC) gained 0.75%, or 0.85 points, to end the session at 113.95.
On the downside, Anheuser Busch Inbev SA NV (EBR:ABI) led losses among large-cap names, sliding 2.87% - a fall of 2.04 points - to finish at 69.00. Melexis NV (EBR:MLXS) declined 2.70%, down 2.25 points to 81.10, and Aperam SA (AS:APAM) dropped 2.58%, a fall of 1.35 points, to 51.05.
Market breadth on the Brussels Stock Exchange skewed slightly negative, with 47 stocks closing lower and 44 advancing; 17 issues finished unchanged.
Commodities showed mixed moves during the session. Gold Futures for August delivery rose 1.47%, gaining 66.57 to trade at 4,598.97 a troy ounce. By contrast, crude oil prices moved lower: the front-month July contract fell 1.28%, down 1.14 to $87.76 a barrel, while the August Brent contract slipped 1.63%, a decrease of 1.51 to $91.19 a barrel.
In currency markets, EUR/USD was listed as unchanged at 1.17, with a quoted movement of 0.21%. EUR/GBP was also effectively flat, showing a 0.03% move to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures was reported down 0.18% at 98.79.
Overall, the session left the BEL 20 lower by 0.35%, with a handful of defensive and financial names making modest gains amid broader sector pressure. Commodities diverged, with gold rallying while oil eased, and the dollar softened marginally versus major currencies.