Belgian shares ended the trading session lower on Friday as sector-level weakness in Healthcare, Utilities and Consumer Services pushed the BEL 20 down 0.77% at the close in Brussels.
On the benchmark, the strongest performers included Syensqo SA (EBR:SYENS), which climbed 2.81% - or 2.25 points - to finish at 82.45. Ageas (EBR:AGES) gained 1.11% - or 0.80 points - to close at 73.15, while KBC Groep NV (EBR:KBC) rose 1.07% - or 1.40 points - to end the day at 131.70.
Decliners on the BEL 20 were led by Argen-X (EBR:ARGX), down 3.21% - or 24.20 points - to 730.20 at the close. UCB SA (EBR:UCB) fell 3.10% - or 6.80 points - to 212.30, and Lotus Bakeries (EBR:LOTB) slipped 2.84% - or 360.00 points - to 12,320.00.
Market breadth was tilted toward advancers, with 51 stocks rising compared with 32 that fell on the Brussels Stock Exchange, and 17 that finished unchanged.
Notable intra-session benchmarks included Syensqo reaching a 52-week high after its 2.81% rise to 82.45. KBC Groep advanced to an all-time high, closing at 131.70 following a 1.07% increase.
Outside equities, commodity contracts registered gains. Gold futures for December delivery were up 0.64% - or 28.17 - to $4,448.57 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for September delivery rose 0.44% - or 0.36 - to $81.61 a barrel, while the October Brent contract gained 0.78% - or 0.68 - to trade at $87.75 a barrel.
On the currency front, EUR/USD moved higher by 0.45% to 1.16, while EUR/GBP was essentially unchanged, up 0.07% to 0.85. The US Dollar Index futures was lower by 0.42%, trading at 99.44.
These readings highlight a session in which selective stock gains were not sufficient to offset sectoral pressure across healthcare, utilities and consumer services, leaving the BEL 20 weaker at the close.