Finland's equity market closed lower on Wednesday, with the OMX Helsinki 25 sliding 1.29% to register a new three-month low. Sector weakness in Technology, Industrials and Financials was the primary driver of the overall decline as more than three times as many stocks fell as rose.
At the Helsinki close, declines outpaced gains by a margin of 132 to 41, while 18 stocks finished unchanged.
Top performers
- Neste Oyj (HE:NESTE) posted the strongest gain on the index, rising 3.32% or 0.91 points to close at 28.34.
- Elisa Oyj (HE:ELISA) added 0.17% or 0.06 points to finish at 35.38.
- Sampo Oyj A (HE:SAMPO) edged up 0.06% or 0.01 points to 9.44 by late trade.
Lagging issues
- Lumo Kodit Oyj (HE:LUMO) was the biggest decliner on the session, falling 4.92% or 0.38 points to end at 7.34.
- Nokian Renkaat Oyj (HE:TYRES) slipped 3.44% or 0.45 points to close at 12.62.
- Metso Oyj (HE:METSO) dropped 3.36% or 0.52 points to finish at 14.96.
Commodities registered notable moves alongside the equity action. Brent oil for September delivery climbed 8.23% or 6.10 to trade at $80.26 a barrel. US crude for August delivery rose 7.64% or 5.38 to $75.82 a barrel. Conversely, the August Gold Futures contract declined 2.72% or 112.90 to trade at $4,044.50 a troy ounce.
In currency markets, EUR/USD was effectively unchanged at 1.14, moving by 0.14%, while EUR/GBP also showed little change at 0.85, shifting 0.18%. The US Dollar Index Futures closed up 0.24% at 101.02.
The market breadth, the pattern of winners and losers, and the commodity price moves together defined a session in which energy-linked commodities advanced sharply while the domestic equity benchmark moved lower, led by losses in the Technology, Industrials and Financials sectors.
Note: All price changes, percentages and closing levels are reported as of the Helsinki close on Wednesday.