Belgian equities closed in negative territory on Thursday, with the benchmark BEL 20 index down 0.24% at the Brussels close. Sector losses in Consumer Goods, Technology and Utilities contributed to the downward move.
On the session, advancing stocks were outnumbered by decliners on the Brussels Stock Exchange, with 48 issues falling, 40 rising and 13 finishing unchanged.
The top performers within the BEL 20 were led by Azelis Corporate Services NV (EBR:AZE), which climbed 5.60% or 0.48 points to end the day at 9.05. Ackermans & Van Haaren NV (EBR:ACKB) also registered a strong gain, advancing 4.13% or 11.40 points to close at 287.40; the stock moved to an all-time high in the session. Lotus Bakeries (EBR:LOTB) added 1.37% or 140.00 points to finish at 10,380.00.
Conversely, the weakest performers included Melexis NV (EBR:MLXS), down 1.87% or 1.10 points to 57.70 at the close. Property group Aedifica (EBR:AOO) fell 1.83% or 1.45 points to 77.80, while brewer Anheuser Busch Inbev SA NV (EBR:ABI) slipped 1.30% or 0.88 points to 66.66.
Commodity markets showed modest gains for precious metals and oil. Gold futures for April delivery rose 0.10% or 4.89 to $5,014.39 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for April delivery increased 2.61% or 1.70 to $66.75 a barrel, while the April Brent contract climbed 2.32% or 1.63 to trade at $71.98 a barrel.
Major currency pairs and the dollar index recorded small moves. EUR/USD was unchanged 0.23% at 1.18, and EUR/GBP was unchanged 0.19% at 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.27% at 97.89.
Market participants saw a session of mixed individual stock performances within an overall slightly negative market tone. The distribution of winners and losers, the session's commodity price action and the static movement in key FX pairs provide a snapshot of market breadth and sentiment at the close.
Below are key takeaways and potential considerations for investors monitoring Belgian equities and related market indicators.