Stock Markets March 27, 2026

AEX slips as industrials, tech and materials weigh; index posts one-month low

Broad losses push Amsterdam benchmark down 1.09% as oil and gold gain and volatility holds steady

By Nina Shah
AEX slips as industrials, tech and materials weigh; index posts one-month low

Shares in the Netherlands closed lower on Friday, with the AEX falling 1.09% to a fresh one-month low. Declines were concentrated in Industrials, Technology and Basic Materials. Individual movers included IMCD NV among the session's gainers and BE Semiconductor Industries NV among the heaviest decliners. Commodity prices for crude, Brent and gold rose, while main currency pairs were largely unchanged and the US Dollar Index Futures ticked higher.

Key Points

  • AEX closed down 1.09%, reaching a one-month low as Industrials, Technology and Basic Materials led losses.
  • IMCD NV, Jde Peets Nv and Koninklijke KPN NV were the session's main gainers, while BE Semiconductor Industries NV, ASM International NV and Randstad NV were the largest decliners.
  • Crude, Brent and gold prices rose notably, while major FX pairs were largely unchanged and the US Dollar Index Futures edged higher.

Netherlands equities ended the trading week in negative territory on Friday as losses across Industrials, Technology and Basic Materials pressured the AEX lower.

At the close in Amsterdam the AEX was down 1.09%, marking a fresh one-month low for the benchmark.

Top performers

  • IMCD NV (AS:IMCD) advanced 2.21% - gaining 1.84 points to finish at 85.00.
  • Jde Peets Nv (AS:JDEP) rose 0.32% - up 0.10 points to 31.74.
  • Koninklijke KPN NV (AS:KPN) inched higher by 0.21% - adding 0.01 points to close at 4.73.

Largest decliners

  • BE Semiconductor Industries NV (AS:BESI) fell 5.69% - sliding 10.55 points to 174.85 at the close.
  • ASM International NV (AS:ASMI) declined 4.30% - down 29.20 points to 650.60.
  • Randstad NV (AS:RAND) dropped 2.80% - losing 0.66 points to end at 22.91.

On the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, decliners outnumbered advancers by 84 to 17, while 7 stocks finished unchanged. Notably, Randstad NV fell to a five-year low in the session, closing at 22.91.

The AEX Volatility index, which reflects implied volatility of AEX options, was unchanged at 21.09.

Commodities and currencies

Commodity markets saw gains during the session. Crude oil for May delivery rose 4.17% - up $3.94 to $98.42 a barrel. Brent oil for June delivery increased 2.38% - gaining $2.42 to reach $104.31 a barrel. The June Gold Futures contract climbed 3.04% - adding $134.07 to trade at $4,543.07 a troy ounce.

In currency markets, EUR/USD was essentially unchanged at 1.15 (a 0.10% move), while EUR/GBP also showed little change at 0.87 (0.34% move). The US Dollar Index Futures ticked up 0.21% to 99.92.

Note on model-driven stock selection

An AI-driven stock selection service cited performance metrics for its strategies, stating that year to date two out of three global portfolios were outperforming their benchmark indexes, with 88% of holdings in positive territory. The same service said its flagship Tech Titans strategy reportedly doubled the S&P 500 within an 18-month period, highlighting past winners such as Super Micro Computer (+185%) and AppLovin (+157%).

Risks

  • Continued weakness in Industrials, Technology and Basic Materials may exert further downward pressure on the AEX - affecting sector-specific equities and related ETFs.
  • Additional declines in large-cap names that reached new multi-year lows, such as Randstad NV, could amplify market selling and impact investor sentiment in domestic labor and staffing-related sectors.
  • Rising commodity prices, particularly for crude and Brent oil, present cost and input-price uncertainty for energy-intensive industries and could influence inflation dynamics.

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