Amsterdam equities closed higher on Wednesday as buying in technology, basic materials and oil and gas stocks pushed the AEX index up 1.48%, marking a fresh one-month high for the benchmark.
Among the best performers on the AEX, ArcelorMittal SA (AS:MT) led gains, finishing the session up 4.21% - a rise of 2.26 points - to close at 55.94. BE Semiconductor Industries NV (AS:BESI) added 3.83%, an advance of 6.90 points to 187.00 at the close. Chip-equipment heavyweight ASML Holding NV (AS:ASML) also recorded a strong session, gaining 3.80% or 45.60 points to end trading at 1,244.80.
Not all names moved higher. IMCD NV (AS:IMCD) finished as the weakest performer on the AEX, losing 4.70% or 4.18 points to end at 84.68. Universal Music Group NV (AS:UMG) declined 1.59%, down 0.31 points to 19.15, while Unilever PLC (AS:ULVR) slipped 1.47%, a fall of 0.91 points to 61.20.
Market breadth favored advancers: 75 stocks rose versus 24 that fell on the Amsterdam exchange, with 5 names unchanged.
Several individual security milestones were highlighted by today’s trading. ArcelorMittal’s shares climbed to five-year highs after rising 4.21% to 55.94. BE Semiconductor reached record highs, increasing 3.83% to 187.00. ASML also pushed to all-time highs on the session, advancing 3.80% to 1,244.80. Conversely, Universal Music Group shares touched 52-week lows, falling 1.59% to 19.15.
Volatility measures were steady: the AEX Volatility index, which reflects implied volatility for AEX options, was unchanged on the day at 21.09.
Commodities moved higher in tandem with equities. Crude oil for April delivery climbed 3.77% - up $2.35 - to trade at $64.61 a barrel. Brent oil for April delivery rose 3.56%, a gain of $2.40, finishing at $69.82 a barrel. Precious metals also advanced, with the April Gold Futures contract up 2.33% - a rise of 114.34 - to trade at $5,020.24 per troy ounce.
In currency markets, EUR/USD was listed unchanged at 1.18 with a notional 0.35% figure, while EUR/GBP was described as unchanged at 0.87 with a 0.13% notation. The US Dollar Index Futures registered a rise of 0.37% to 97.42.
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