Belgian shares ended the trading day in negative territory on Monday as sector declines weighed on the benchmark index. At the close in Brussels the BEL 20 fell 1.42% and registered a fresh one-month low.
Sectors that led the retreat included Industrials, Basic Materials and Consumer Services, and that weakness was reflected across individual names on the main index.
Winners and losers on the BEL 20
- Syensqo SA (EBR:SYENS) was the session's top gainer on the BEL 20, advancing 1.30% - an increase of 0.63 points to close at 49.00.
- Umicore SA (EBR:UMI) added 0.11% or 0.02 points to finish at 18.04.
- Elia (EBR:ELI) ended the session down 0.37% or 0.50 points at 134.30.
- At the bottom of the board, Azelis Corporate Services NV (EBR:AZE) fell 3.81% or 0.32 points to close at 8.07.
- Solvay SA (EBR:SOLB) declined 3.32% or 0.92 points to 26.80.
- Sofina (EBR:SOF) slipped 2.86% or 7.20 points to 244.60.
On the Brussels Stock Exchange overall, falling issues outnumbered rising ones by 77 to 20, while 14 stocks finished unchanged, indicating a session dominated by declines.
Commodities and currencies
Commodities moved higher in the session. Gold futures for April delivery rose 1.27% - up 66.61 to $5,314.51 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for April delivery climbed 5.51% or 3.69 to $70.71 a barrel, and the May Brent contract increased 6.08% or 4.43 to trade at $77.30 a barrel.
Currency markets showed notable shifts. The euro fell versus the dollar, with EUR/USD down 1.03% to 1.17. EUR/GBP was reported as unchanged at 0.87 with a 0.37% figure referenced in the session. The US Dollar Index Futures was higher by 1.00%, trading at 98.54.
This combination of sector-led equity weakness, rising commodity prices and currency moves framed the trading environment in Brussels on Monday.
Article limitations
The report reflects closing prices and session moves as stated above. It does not provide further explanation for the drivers behind sector or market moves beyond the price and volume data noted.