Belgian equities finished lower on Wednesday as sector-level declines in Consumer Services, Healthcare and Utilities outweighed gains elsewhere, leaving the BEL 20 index down 0.73% at the close in Brussels.
Market breadth was narrowly negative on the day: 48 stocks on the Brussels exchange fell versus 44 that advanced, while 16 issues finished unchanged.
Top performers included Ackermans & Van Haaren NV (EBR:ACKB), which advanced 2.03% - a rise of 5.40 points - to end the session at 272.00. KBC Groep NV (EBR:KBC) added 1.60% or 1.70 points to close at 108.20, and Syensqo SA (EBR:SYENS) rose 1.34%, gaining 0.60 points to finish at 45.48.
Largest decliners were led by Azelis Corporate Services NV (EBR:AZE), which fell 2.80% or 0.21 points to trade at 7.30 at the close and hit all-time lows. Anheuser Busch Inbev SA NV (EBR:ABI) declined 2.77%, a drop of 1.76 points, to finish at 61.68. Argen-X (EBR:ARGX) slipped 2.63% or 16.20 points to end the day at 599.80.
Beyond individual stock moves, commodity and currency contracts recorded mixed results. Gold futures for April delivery moved lower, down 2.29% or 114.81 to $4,893.39 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for May delivery rose 1.71% or 1.63 to reach $97.16 a barrel, while the May Brent contract increased 5.13% or 5.31 to trade at $108.73 a barrel.
Currency markets showed modest change: EUR/USD was unchanged at 1.15, reflecting a 0.26% figure as reported, and EUR/GBP was unchanged at 0.86, corresponding to a 0.09% reading. The US Dollar Index Futures moved up 0.28% to 99.61.
Overall, the session left the Belgian benchmark lower with a small number of stocks accounting for the largest moves on both the upside and downside. Azelis's fall to its all-time low stood out among the declines, while gains at Ackermans & Van Haaren and KBC Groep provided some cushioning against broader losses.
Session details
- BEL 20 close: down 0.73%
- Advancers: 44 | Decliners: 48 | Unchanged: 16
- Notable winners: ACKB, KBC, SYENS
- Notable losers: AZE (all-time low), ABI, ARGX