Helsinki - Finland's principal stock index closed lower on Thursday, weighed by declines in the Telecoms, Technology and Utilities sectors, with the OMX Helsinki 25 finishing the day down 0.18%.
At the close, several individual stocks bucked the broader trend. Valmet Oyj (HE:VALMT) was the session's top performer on the OMX Helsinki 25, climbing 2.58% - a gain of 0.56 points to settle at 22.24. KONE Oyj (HE:KNEBV) added 1.98%, rising 0.96 points to close at 49.44. Neste Oyj (HE:NESTE) also posted gains, ending the day up 1.84% or 0.57 points at 31.53.
On the downside, Nokia Oyj (HE:NOKIA) recorded the largest fall among index constituents, dropping 6.58% - a loss of 0.64 points to close at 9.14. Wartsila Oyj Abp (HE:WRT1V) declined 1.85%, or 0.56 points, to finish at 29.63, while Mandatum Oyj (HE:MANTA) was down 1.36%, slipping 0.08 points to 5.46.
Market breadth in Helsinki was tilted slightly in favor of advancers. Rising issues outnumbered decliners 88 to 79, with 24 stocks finishing unchanged.
Notable among the winners, Neste (HE:NESTE) reached a 52-week high during the session, closing at 31.53 after gaining 1.84%.
Commodities and currencies
Commodity markets showed modest weakness. Brent oil for September delivery slipped 0.29%, or $0.25, to trade at $84.70 a barrel. U.S. crude for August delivery fell 0.33%, or $0.26, to $79.34 a barrel. The August Gold Futures contract declined 0.98%, or $39.65, to $4,012.15 a troy ounce.
In currency trading, EUR/USD was unchanged 0.17% at 1.14, while EUR/GBP was unchanged 0.25% at 0.85. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.23% at 100.50.
Overview
The session closed with small net losses for the main index despite a larger number of advancing stocks, highlighting the impact of several sizable declines among key names. Sector pressure from Telecoms, Technology and Utilities was a primary driver of the negative close.