Stock markets in Sweden finished the trading day in negative territory on Friday, with the benchmark OMX Stockholm 30 retreating 0.38% at the close in Stockholm. Sector declines in Basic Materials, Industrials and Healthcare were the primary drivers of the weakness across the blue-chip index.
On a stock-by-stock basis, the strongest performers inside the OMX Stockholm 30 included H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB B (ST:HMb), which climbed 2.13% - up 3.40 points - to finish at 160.60. Evolution AB (ST:EVOG) also advanced, gaining 1.56% or 10.00 points to close at 650.20. Tele2 AB (ST:TEL2b) rounded out the top performers, rising 1.24% or 2.25 points to end the session at 183.95.
At the other end of the index, Boliden AB (ST:BOL) recorded the steepest drop, tumbling 5.57% - down 30.40 points - to close at 515.20. AB SKF B (ST:SKFb) fell 3.12% or 7.30 points to 226.90, while Skanska AB ser. B (ST:SKAb) declined 2.21% - a 5.50 point loss - to finish at 243.20.
Breadth on the Stockholm Stock Exchange favored the downside, with 406 stocks lower versus 364 that advanced; 47 shares finished unchanged.
Commodities trading showed sizeable moves during the session. Crude oil for June delivery jumped 4.15%, or $4.20, to settle at $105.37 a barrel. Brent crude for July delivery rose 3.49%, or $3.69, to $109.41 a barrel. In contrast, the June Gold Futures contract declined 2.97% - down $138.98 - to trade at $4,546.32 a troy ounce.
Currency markets also moved: EUR/SEK rose 0.56% to 10.98, while USD/SEK increased 0.91% to 9.44. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.44% at 99.17 by the close of trade.
Summary of session dynamics:
- OMX Stockholm 30 declined 0.38% at the close in Stockholm.
- Top performers on the index were H&M (ST:HMb), Evolution (ST:EVOG) and Tele2 (ST:TEL2b).
- Largest laggards included Boliden (ST:BOL), AB SKF B (ST:SKFb) and Skanska B (ST:SKAb).
- Crude and Brent oil rose notably, while June gold futures fell materially.
- EUR/SEK and USD/SEK strengthened, and the US Dollar Index Futures closed higher.