Belgian stocks finished the trading day in positive territory on Friday, with the benchmark BEL 20 index up 1.62% as it reached a new one-month high. The market advance was supported by gains across several key sectors, led by Consumer Goods, Industrials and Technology names.
Among the strongest performers on the BEL 20, Melexis NV (EBR:MLXS) ended the session 4.77% higher, adding 2.90 points to close at 63.70. D'Ieteren NV (EBR:IETB) climbed 3.86%, or 7.00 points, to finish at 188.40, while Syensqo SA (EBR:SYENS) rose 3.85%, gaining 2.10 points to trade at 56.60 at the close.
On the downside, Azelis Corporate Services NV (EBR:AZE) posted the largest decline among the listed names mentioned, slipping 0.59% or 0.06 points to close at 10.14. Elia (EBR:ELI) was up 0.29%, adding 0.40 points to reach 137.00, and Anheuser Busch Inbev SA NV (EBR:ABI) advanced 0.65%, gaining 0.42 points to end the session at 64.58.
Market breadth on the Brussels Stock Exchange favoured advancing issues, with 73 stocks rising compared with 25 that fell, while nine shares finished unchanged.
Commodities trading reflected pronounced moves outside equities. Gold futures for June delivery rose 1.69%, or 81.14, to $4,889.44 a troy ounce. By contrast, oil prices weakened notably: crude oil for delivery in May declined 12.06%, or 11.42, to $83.27 a barrel, and the June Brent contract fell 10.30%, or 10.24, to trade at $89.15 a barrel.
Foreign exchange and dollar benchmarks showed modest changes. EUR/USD was unchanged 0.14% at 1.18, while EUR/GBP was unchanged 0.05% at 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures registered a 0.29% decline, trading at 97.74.
Summary - the session closed with the BEL 20 up 1.62% to a one-month high, led by gains in Consumer Goods, Industrials and Technology. Melexis NV, D'Ieteren NV and Syensqo SA were among the top performers, while Azelis Corporate Services NV recorded the largest loss among the names highlighted. Broader market breadth showed more advancing than declining stocks. In commodities, gold moved higher while both WTI and Brent crude experienced double-digit percentage declines. Currency pairs were largely unchanged and the US Dollar Index Futures eased.