Stock markets in Sweden ended Wednesday's session in negative territory, driven by losses across Telecoms, Healthcare and Industrials. At the close in Stockholm, the OMX Stockholm 30 index was down 0.54%.
The session displayed a split between winners and losers among the large-cap constituents. Leading the gainers was Volvo AB, class B (ST:VOLVb), which climbed 2.63% - an 8.30 point rise to close at 323.70. AB SKF B (ST:SKFb) also advanced, adding 1.39% or 3.50 points to finish at 255.00, while Boliden AB (ST:BOL) rose 1.18% or 7.40 points to end the day at 635.00. Boliden’s close marked an all-time high for the stock.
On the downside, Tele2 AB (ST:TEL2b) was the weakest performer on the OMX Stockholm 30, sliding 3.99% or 6.60 points to 158.90 at the close. Atlas Copco AB Class A (ST:ATCOa) fell 2.49% or 4.70 points to 182.00 and AstraZeneca PLC (ST:AZN) dropped 2.16% or 36.50 points to 1,656.50.
Market breadth in Stockholm was tilted toward declines: 390 issues fell during the session while 351 advanced and 67 finished unchanged.
Commodities and currencies
Energy markets posted modest gains. Crude oil for March delivery increased 0.61% or $0.38 to settle at $62.77 a barrel. Brent crude for April delivery rose 0.48% or $0.32 to $66.91 a barrel.
Gold futures for April recorded a substantial rise, with the contract up 4.08% or 208.91 to trade at 5,329.51 per troy ounce.
Currency moves showed the euro strengthening versus the Swedish krona, with EUR/SEK up 0.41% to 10.59. The U.S. dollar also rose against the krona, with USD/SEK higher by 1.27% at 8.87. The U.S. Dollar Index Futures was up 0.30% at 96.33.
Market context and takeaways
Wednesday’s trading featured a divergence between industrial and mining stocks, which produced several of the session’s top performers, and names in telecoms and healthcare, which recorded some of the largest declines. Boliden’s move to an all-time high stood out amid these mixed sector outcomes.
Investors navigating the Swedish market will have noted the combined influence of sector-specific moves and broader commodity and currency fluctuations when assessing portfolio exposures tied to industrials, miners, telecom operators and large-cap healthcare companies.