Netherlands stocks finished lower on Thursday, with sector weakness in Technology, Industrials and Basic Materials driving the market lower. At the close in Amsterdam the benchmark AEX index was down 1.26%.
The session's top performers on the AEX included IMCD NV (AS:IMCD), which advanced 4.81% or 3.82 points to finish at 83.16. Wolters Kluwer (AS:WLSNc) added 1.94% or 1.22 points to close at 63.96, and Magnum Ice Cream Nv (AS:MICCT) rose 1.50% or 0.19 points to end the session at 12.82.
On the downside, Prosus (AS:PRX) was the weakest large-cap name, falling 4.75% or 1.97 points to close at 39.50. ASML Holding NV (AS:ASML) declined 3.78% or 45.80 points to finish at 1,165.80, and ArcelorMittal SA (AS:MT) dropped 3.47% or 1.60 points to end at 44.49.
Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange by 64 to 35, while 6 stocks finished unchanged.
The AEX Volatility gauge, which tracks implied volatility in AEX options, was unchanged at 21.09, a 0.00% move for the session.
Commodities traded with notable moves. Crude oil for May delivery increased 5.08% or 4.59 to settle at $94.91 a barrel. Brent oil for June delivery rose 4.87% or 4.74 to $102.00 a barrel. By contrast, the June Gold Futures contract fell 3.46% or 158.78 to trade at $4,426.72 a troy ounce.
In currency markets EUR/USD was effectively unchanged, moving 0.20% to 1.15, and EUR/GBP was stable at 0.86 with a 0.03% move. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.29%, trading at 99.69.
Market breadth and commodity price swings were the dominant themes of the session, with a concentration of losses in certain economically sensitive sectors contributing to the overall index decline.