Stocks listed in Finland ended the trading day higher on Thursday, driven by gains in the Utilities, Telecoms and Oil & Gas sectors.
At the close in Helsinki the OMX Helsinki 25 index rose 0.46%.
Top performers
- Fortum Oyj (HE:FORTUM) gained 6.14% or 1.31 points, finishing at 22.63. The session's advance pushed Fortum to three-year highs.
- Nokia Oyj (HE:NOKIA) added 2.46% or 0.18 points to close at 7.32.
- Neste Oyj (HE:NESTE) rose 1.42% or 0.38 points to end the day at 27.08.
Lagging issues
- Outokumpu Oyj (HE:OUT1V) fell 2.24% or 0.11 points to 4.71.
- Metso Oyj (HE:METSO) declined 2.19% or 0.34 points to 14.98.
- SSAB AB B (HE:SSABBH) was down 1.84% or 0.13 points, finishing at 6.81.
On the Helsinki Stock Exchange, rising issues narrowly outnumbered decliners, 86 to 85, while 18 shares finished unchanged.
Commodity markets showed sharp moves during the session. Brent oil for June delivery climbed 6.23% or 6.30, settling at $107.46 a barrel. U.S. crude for May delivery rose 11.03% or 11.04 to $111.16 a barrel. In metals, the June Gold Futures contract fell 2.57% or 123.80 to trade at $4,689.30 a troy ounce.
Foreign exchange rates moved modestly. EUR/USD was essentially unchanged at 1.15, recording a 0.40% change, and EUR/GBP registered a 0.14% change to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.31% at 99.77.
This session's activity was concentrated in a few sectors that lifted the main index, with utilities and energy names among the day's most notable contributors. At the same time, the nearly equal number of advancing and declining stocks suggests the broader market participation was mixed, rather than uniformly positive.
Market context and takeaways
The OMX Helsinki 25's modest gain reflects sector-led moves rather than a broad-based rally. Fortum's sizable uptick and move to three-year highs was a standout, while telecom and energy names provided additional upward momentum. Conversely, several industrial and steel-related names weighed on the index as they recorded declines.