Portugal's equity market ended the session in negative territory on Thursday, with the primary index finishing down 1.21% in Lisbon. Selling pressure was concentrated in the Utilities, Financials and Basic Materials sectors, which together pushed the benchmark lower.
At the close, the PSI registered a decline of 1.21%.
Among the session's gainers, Galp Energia Nom (ELI:GALP) recorded the strongest performance on the PSI, advancing 0.72% - an increase of 0.14 points to finish at 19.46. Ibersol SGPS (ELI:IBS) also rose, adding 0.34% or 0.04 points to close at 11.74, while Altri SGPS SA (ELI:ALSS) moved up 0.31% or 0.02 points to end the day at 4.87.
Decliners were led by major utilities and materials names. EDP Energias de Portugal SA (ELI:EDP) fell 3.25% or 0.15 points to close at 4.52. EDP Renovaveis (ELI:EDPR) dropped 2.13% or 0.30 points to finish at 13.80, and Semapa (ELI:SEM) lost 2.02% or 0.45 points, ending the session at 21.85.
Market breadth in Lisbon was to the downside: falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones by 18 to 11 on the exchange.
Ibersol SGPS (ELI:IBS) reached an all-time high during the session, closing up 0.34% at 11.74.
Commodity markets showed clear strength during the trading period covered. Brent crude for June delivery climbed 3.68% or 3.49 to trade at $98.42 a barrel. U.S. crude for May delivery rose 2.45% or 2.24 to $93.53 a barrel. In precious metals, the June gold futures contract inched up 0.10% or 4.96 to trade at $4,828.56 a troy ounce.
Currency markets were relatively steady. The euro-dollar pair was unchanged to 1.18 with a 0.14% notation reported, while the euro-pound rate moved by 0.09% to 0.87. The U.S. Dollar Index Futures finished higher by 0.14% at 97.99.
These moves left Portuguese equities lower on the day, with a mix of sectoral pressures and commodity gains forming the backdrop to trading activity in Lisbon.