Stock Markets March 31, 2026

Stock advance lifts Stockholm benchmark as materials, industrials and health names lead gains

OMX Stockholm 30 climbs 1.35% as Boliden, Sandvik and Epiroc rally; oil and gold move in mixed directions

By Ajmal Hussain
Stock advance lifts Stockholm benchmark as materials, industrials and health names lead gains

Sweden's equity market closed higher on Tuesday with the OMX Stockholm 30 gaining 1.35%, driven by strength in Basic Materials, Industrials and Healthcare. Boliden, Sandvik and Epiroc were the session's top performers while Ericsson and Essity lagged. Market breadth favored advancers and commodity and FX markets showed mixed moves.

Key Points

  • OMX Stockholm 30 gained 1.35% at the close, with Basic Materials, Industrials and Healthcare leading the advance.
  • Top individual performers included Boliden (up 4.68% to 485.70), Sandvik (up 3.38% to 357.40) and Epiroc Class A (up 2.92% to 229.10).
  • Market breadth favored advancers with 557 stocks rising versus 172 decliners; commodities and FX showed mixed movements that may influence sector flows.

Swedish shares closed noticeably higher on Tuesday, with the OMX Stockholm 30 finishing the day up 1.35% after broad-based sector gains. The market advance was concentrated in Basic Materials, Industrials and Healthcare, which provided much of the upward momentum.

Market breadth in Stockholm was strongly positive: 557 stocks rose, 172 declined and 60 finished unchanged. That skew toward advancing names underpinned the benchmark's rise.


Top movers on the OMX Stockholm 30

  • Boliden AB (ST:BOL) was the session's strongest performer, jumping 4.68% - a 21.70-point increase - to close at 485.70.
  • Sandvik AB (ST:SAND) added 3.38%, or 11.70 points, to end the day at 357.40.
  • Epiroc AB Class A (ST:EPIRa) rose 2.92%, gaining 6.50 points to finish at 229.10.

Laggards

  • Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson Class B (ST:ERICb) slipped 0.65%, down 0.70 points to 106.30 at the close.
  • Essity AB B (ST:ESSITYb) fell 0.41%, losing 1.00 point to finish at 242.90.
  • Lifco publ AB (ST:LIFCOb) was unchanged, remaining at 281.80.

Commodities and currency moves

Commodities were mixed during the session. Crude oil for May delivery rose 1.58% - up $1.63 - to $104.51 a barrel. By contrast, Brent oil for June delivery ticked down 0.19%, a $0.20 decline to $107.19 a barrel. Precious metals gained ground as the June Gold Futures contract advanced 1.83%, or $83.57, to trade at $4,641.07 a troy ounce.

In FX markets, the euro strengthened versus the krona with EUR/SEK up 0.45% at 10.98. USD/SEK was effectively flat, moving 0.01% to 9.54. The US Dollar Index Futures eased 0.33% to 100.02.


Context and takeaways

The session showed selective sector leadership, with resource-related and industrial names outperforming. The strong advance in Boliden, Sandvik and Epiroc highlights investor appetite for basic materials and industrial exposure within the Swedish market. At the same time, defensive and communications-related names such as Essity and Ericsson underperformed or remained flat, contributing to a market that favored cyclical exposure on the day.

Overall, the close reflects a market environment where gains were supported by a clear majority of advancing issues and mixed signals from commodity and currency markets.

Risks

  • Commodity price volatility - crude oil and Brent moved in opposite directions, which could affect energy and materials sector profitability.
  • Currency fluctuations - changes in EUR/SEK and USD/SEK can impact exporters and importers in Sweden, influencing corporate earnings for industrials and materials companies.
  • Concentration risk - strong gains were led by a subset of materials and industrial stocks, meaning broader market performance could be vulnerable if those leaders reverse.

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