Stocks listed in Finland closed higher on Thursday as gains in Technology, Consumer Services and Oil & Gas helped lift the market. By the end of trading in Helsinki, the OMX Helsinki 25 had advanced 0.35%.
Top gainers:
- Qt Group Oyj (HE:QTCOM) was the session's strongest performer on the OMX Helsinki 25, rising 3.69% or 0.74 points to finish at 20.82.
- Kesko Oyj (HE:KESKOB) added 3.18% or 0.63 points to close at 20.44.
- Wartsila Oyj Abp (HE:WRT1V) increased 2.21% or 0.78 points to end the day at 36.00.
Biggest decliners:
- Hiab Oyj (HE:HIAB) paced the laggards, falling 1.82% or 0.84 points to 45.20 at the close.
- Nordea Bank Abp (HE:NDAFI) slipped 1.61% or 0.26 points to finish at 15.89.
- Lumo Kodit Oyj (HE:LUMO) declined 1.24% or 0.11 points to trade at 8.38.
Market breadth on the Helsinki Stock Exchange favoured advancing issues, with 95 stocks higher versus 73 that fell. An additional 20 shares ended unchanged.
Commodities and futures: Energy contracts registered notable gains. Brent oil for June delivery climbed 3.56% or 3.38 to trade at $98.31 a barrel. U.S. crude for May delivery rose 2.29% or 2.09 to $93.38 a barrel. The June Gold Futures contract increased 0.12% or 5.99 to settle at $4,829.59 a troy ounce. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.14% at 97.99.
Currencies: The euro was largely unchanged against major peers in the session mentioned. EUR/USD was unchanged 0.16% at 1.18, while EUR/GBP was unchanged 0.08% at 0.87.
Overall, Thursday's close reflected selective strength among technology, retail and energy-related names, while certain industrial and banking stocks weighed on the index. Commodity price moves and currency stability formed part of the backdrop to the Helsinki market's modest gain.