Finland's stock market closed higher on Friday, with sector-level strength in Consumer Services, Financials and Telecoms helping push the benchmark index to a fresh record.
At the Helsinki close, the OMX Helsinki 25 increased 0.61% to reach a new all-time high. The session saw more advancing issues than decliners on the local exchange, with 97 rising, 76 falling and 17 shares finishing unchanged.
Leading gains on the OMX Helsinki 25 were Hiab Oyj (HE:HIAB), Nokia Oyj (HE:NOKIA) and Mandatum Oyj (HE:MANTA). Hiab led the winners, climbing 2.68% - up 1.30 points - to finish at 49.78. Nokia added 1.64%, or 0.10 points, to close at 6.45. Mandatum rose 1.55%, or 0.11 points, to 7.34 in late trade, with its shares noted as reaching an all-time high on the session.
On the downside, TietoEVRY Corp (HE:TIETO) was the biggest decliner among the main index components, slipping 1.99% - down 0.39 points - to end at 19.19. Nokian Renkaat Oyj (HE:TYRES) dropped 1.57%, or 0.17 points, to 10.65, while Neste Oyj (HE:NESTE) fell 0.65%, losing 0.14 points to finish at 21.31.
The session's breadth and the index's move to a record reflect selective buying pressure in a few sectors rather than across-the-board strength. The Consumer Services, Financials and Telecoms sectors were cited as the primary contributors to the upward move in shares.
In commodities trading, Brent oil for April delivery fell 0.25%, or 0.18, to $71.48 a barrel. U.S. crude for April delivery slipped 0.27%, or 0.18, to $66.22 a barrel. Precious metals were higher, with the April Gold Futures contract rising 1.80%, an increase of 90.01, to trade at $5,087.41 a troy ounce.
Foreign exchange markets showed modest changes. EUR/USD was effectively unchanged, recorded as 0.08% to 1.18, while EUR/GBP was unchanged 0.17% to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures declined 0.16% to 97.70.
Market participants assessing the close should note the concentration of gains in a handful of sectors and companies, the presence of several notable decliners, and the modest movements in commodity and currency markets that accompanied the equity session.