Poland's equity benchmark closed in the red on Thursday, with the WIG30 losing 0.46% at the end of trading in Warsaw as declines in the Banking, Chemicals and Information Technology sectors pressured the market.
The session's top performer on the WIG30 was KGHM Polska Miedz SA (WA:KGH), which climbed 5.44% or 19.20 points to finish at 371.90, marking an all-time high for the miner. Polski Koncern Naftowy ORLEN SA (WA:PKN) also advanced, gaining 1.45% or 1.52 points to close at 106.48 - a level described in the session as a 5-year high. PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA (WA:PGE) rose 0.95% or 0.09 points to end at 9.54.
On the downside, CCC SA (WA:CCCP) recorded the steepest drop among WIG30 constituents, falling 5.63% or 7.20 points to 120.65 at the close. Bank Millennium SA (WA:MILP) declined 3.28% or 0.58 points to 17.12, while Pepco Group Nv (WA:PCOP) slipped 3.07% or 0.93 points to 29.32.
Market breadth on the Warsaw Stock Exchange favored losing issues. Decliners outnumbered advancers by 343 to 206, and 105 stocks finished unchanged.
Commodity markets saw gains in crude oil benchmarks during the session. Crude oil for March delivery rose 3.72% or 2.35 to trade at $65.56 a barrel. Brent oil for April delivery increased 3.28% or 2.21 to $69.58 a barrel. By contrast, the April Gold Futures contract eased 0.60% or 32.10 to trade at $5,308.10 a troy ounce.
Foreign exchange moves included a firmer zloty against both the euro and the dollar. EUR/PLN rose 0.28% to 4.21, while USD/PLN increased 0.39% to 3.53. Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.05% at 96.23.
Context and market implications
The trading day produced a mix of sector-level outcomes: resource and energy names posted gains that contrasted with losses in financials, chemicals and technology issues. KGHM's move to an all-time high and ORLEN's rise to a 5-year high were notable exceptions amid the broader weakness in the benchmark index.
Investors monitored commodity prices and FX shifts alongside equity flows, with the rise in crude oil coinciding with outperformance in some energy-related stocks on the WIG30.