Finnish shares finished the trading day in positive territory on Friday, with the OMX Helsinki 25 index climbing 1.55% at the close. The advance was led by strength in the Utilities, Telecoms and Basic Materials sectors, which provided upward momentum across the exchange.
Among the heaviest gainers on the OMX Helsinki 25, Nokian Renkaat Oyj (HE:TYRES) rose 5.19%, a 0.63 point increase that put the stock at 12.78 at the close. The move also marked a rise to three-year highs for the company. Outokumpu Oyj (HE:OUT1V) added 4.69%, up 0.24 points to finish at 5.25, while SSAB AB B (HE:SSABBH) increased 4.53%, gaining 0.37 points to end the session at 8.45.
On the downside, Lumo Kodit Oyj (HE:LUMO) was the weakest performer among the benchmark constituents, slipping 2.06% or 0.16 points to close at 7.62. Sampo Oyj A (HE:SAMPO) declined 0.79%, a 0.07 point fall to 9.32, and Orion Oyj B (HE:ORNBV) eased 0.69% or 0.50 points to finish at 71.65.
Market breadth on the Helsinki bourse was tilted toward advance: 100 stocks rose compared with 66 that fell, while 23 issues finished unchanged.
Commodities showed mixed but generally modest moves in related markets. Brent crude for September delivery rose 0.42%, an increase of $0.30, to trade at $72.10 a barrel. U.S. crude for August delivery was up 0.13%, or $0.09, to $68.78 a barrel. August Gold Futures climbed 1.26%, gaining $52.06 to trade at $4,177.76 per troy ounce.
Currency trading was largely flat. The euro held near 1.14 against the U.S. dollar, changing by 0.03%, while EUR/GBP was effectively unchanged at 0.86. The U.S. Dollar Index Futures was down 0.01% at 100.61.
The close left the OMX Helsinki 25 with a clear positive result for the session, supported by a handful of sizeable sector and stock-level advances despite selective weakness among several large-cap names.