Swedish equities closed lower on Thursday in Stockholm, with sector declines in Healthcare, Financials and Basic Materials contributing to an overall pullback in the market. At the close, the OMX Stockholm 30 was down 0.26%.
Among the index constituents, SAAB AB ser. B (ST:SAABb) was the top performer of the session, gaining 2.92% - equal to 19.10 points - to finish at 672.90. Addtech (ST:ADDTb) advanced 1.37% or 4.40 points to end at 324.80, and Lifco publ AB (ST:LIFCOb) rose 1.20%, a 3.80-point increase, closing at 321.60.
On the losing side, EQT AB (ST:EQTAB) posted the largest decline on the index, slipping 3.89% or 11.90 points to close at 294.00. AstraZeneca PLC (ST:AZN) fell 1.85%, down 35.00 points to 1,862.00 at the close, and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB A (ST:SEBa) decreased 1.23% or 2.40 points to finish at 193.00.
Market breadth in Stockholm was tilted to the upside in terms of individual issues: 427 stocks rose versus 321 that fell, while 59 issues ended unchanged.
Commodities were firmer in the session. Crude oil for April delivery increased 2.58% or 1.68 to trade at $66.73 a barrel. Brent oil for April delivery climbed 2.30% or 1.62 to $71.97 a barrel. In metals, the April Gold Futures contract was up 0.11% or 5.56, trading at $5,015.06 a troy ounce.
Foreign exchange moves included a 0.27% rise in EUR/SEK to 10.67 and a 0.52% increase in USD/SEK to 9.07. The US Dollar Index Futures was trading 0.23% higher at 97.85.
The trading day closed with the benchmark index in modest negative territory while individual stocks showed divergence between advances and declines. Commodities and selected FX pairs moved higher on the day.