Belgian equity markets ended the trading day in positive territory on Tuesday, with sector-level strength in Healthcare, Basic Materials and Consumer Goods supporting the advance. At the close in Brussels the BEL 20 index finished up 0.86%.
On the benchmark, the session's largest gainers included UCB SA, which rose 2.01% or 5.10 points to close at 258.50. Melexis NV added 1.84% or 0.95 points to finish at 52.55, and D'Ieteren NV gained 1.54% or 2.40 points to end the day at 158.20.
Among the weakest performances were Azelis Corporate Services NV, which fell 1.03% or 0.09 points to trade at 8.68 at the close. Solvay SA declined 0.75% or 0.20 points to 26.46, and Cofinimmo SA slipped 0.49% or 0.40 points to finish at 81.20.
Market internals on the Brussels Stock Exchange showed more advancing issues than decliners, with 62 rising, 33 falling and 17 unchanged.
Commodities trading registered notable moves. Gold futures for June delivery strengthened 1.92% or 87.59 to $4,645.09 a troy ounce. Crude oil for May delivery increased 1.61% or 1.66 to $104.54 a barrel, while the June Brent contract ticked down 0.20% or 0.22 to trade at $107.17 a barrel.
Currency markets were also active. EUR/USD was up 0.56% to 1.15, and EUR/GBP was reported unchanged 0.44% to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures moved lower, down 0.39% at 99.96.
Below are concise takeaways and considerations from the session.
- Sector drivers - Healthcare, Basic Materials and Consumer Goods led the market advance in Brussels.
- Top performers - UCB, Melexis and D'Ieteren recorded the largest gains on the BEL 20.
- Lagging names - Azelis, Solvay and Cofinimmo were among the day's decliners.
The market closed with modest breadth in favor of advancers and with commodities and FX showing divergent moves that accompanied the equity gains.