Belgian equities finished Monday's session in negative territory as sector losses in Basic Materials, Industrials and Financials pushed the benchmark lower. At the close in Brussels the BEL 20 fell 0.54%.
Among individual components, Melexis NV (EBR:MLXS) posted the largest gain on the index, rising 1.74% - a move of 1.40 points - to finish at 81.90. Ageas (EBR:AGES) added 0.39%, or 0.25 points, to close at 63.75, while Anheuser Busch Inbev SA NV (EBR:ABI) ticked up 0.27%, or 0.18 points, to 67.88 in late trading.
On the downside, Syensqo SA (EBR:SYENS) saw the biggest drop, sliding 5.14% - down 3.45 points - to end at 63.65. Azelis Corporate Services NV (EBR:AZE) fell 1.73%, or 0.18 points, to 10.22, and Warehouses de Pauw Comm VA (EBR:WDPP) declined 1.66%, or 0.36 points, to close at 21.30.
Market breadth favored decliners on the Brussels Stock Exchange, with 55 stocks falling versus 38 advancing and 14 remaining unchanged.
Commodity markets showed divergent moves. Gold futures for August delivery were effectively flat on the day, reported as down 0.00% or 0.18 to $4,365.12 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for July delivery rose 1.19%, gaining $1.08 to trade at $91.62 a barrel, while the August Brent contract climbed 1.80%, up $1.68, to $94.77 a barrel.
Foreign exchange quotations were mixed. EUR/USD was reported unchanged at 1.15, and EUR/GBP was unchanged at 0.87. The U.S. Dollar Index futures was down 0.14% at 99.91.
Overall, the session combined sector-led weakness on the index with gains in select names and upward pressure in oil prices, while the dollar weakened modestly in futures trading.