Belgian equity markets finished the Friday session in negative territory, with the benchmark BEL 20 easing 0.77% to record a new one-month low at the close in Brussels. The decline was driven primarily by losses across the Basic Materials, Consumer Goods and Technology sectors.
Market breadth favored decliners. On the Brussels Stock Exchange, falling stocks outnumbered advancers by 70 to 21, while 15 issues finished unchanged.
Top performers
- Anheuser Busch Inbev SA NV (EBR:ABI) was the session's strongest performer on the BEL 20, rising 1.82% or 1.14 points to close at 63.76.
- Aedifica (EBR:AOO) added 0.49% or 0.35 points to finish at 71.95.
- Groep Brussel Lambert NV (EBR:GBLB) gained 0.25% or 0.20 points, ending the day at 79.15.
Largest decliners
- Syensqo SA (EBR:SYENS) saw the steepest fall, dropping 7.53% or 3.67 points to close at 45.06. The stock fell to all-time lows during the session.
- Umicore SA (EBR:UMI) slipped 3.43% or 0.59 points to end at 16.61.
- Azelis Corporate Services NV (EBR:AZE) declined 2.56% or 0.20 points to finish at 7.60.
Commodities and energy
Precious metals and energy contracts moved in opposite directions. Gold Futures for April delivery were down 1.49% or 76.31 to $5,049.49 a troy ounce. Crude oil for April delivery rose 1.15% or 1.10 to $96.83 a barrel, while the May Brent contract increased 0.92% or 0.92 to trade at $101.38 a barrel.
FX and indices
Currency and index futures reflected additional market shifts. EUR/USD was down 0.63% to 1.14, while EUR/GBP was unchanged 0.15% to 0.86. The US Dollar Index Futures rose 0.60% to 100.36.
Overall, Friday's session left the BEL 20 lower with sector-level weakness concentrated in Basic Materials, Consumer Goods and Technology, and notable single-stock moves amplifying the index's decline.