Stocks listed in Finland ended the trading day higher on Tuesday, led by strength in Basic Materials, Utilities and Industrials. The benchmark OMX Helsinki 25 closed up 1.56%.
Among components of the OMX Helsinki 25, the top performers were:
- SSAB AB B (HE:SSABBH) - up 7.07% or 0.47 points to 7.09 at the close;
- Outokumpu Oyj (HE:OUT1V) - gained 5.83% or 0.28 points to finish at 5.11;
- Metso Oyj (HE:METSO) - rose 5.16% or 0.80 points to 16.19 in late trade.
The laggards on the index included:
- Qt Group Oyj (HE:QTCOM) - down 4.19% or 0.84 points to 19.22 at the close;
- Neste Oyj (HE:NESTE) - slipped 1.44% or 0.36 points to end at 24.59;
- Kesko Oyj (HE:KESKOB) - down 0.15% or 0.03 points to 19.80.
Advancers outnumbered decliners on the Helsinki exchange, with 138 stocks rising, 42 falling and 11 unchanged.
Notably, shares of Qt Group Oyj fell to five-year lows, closing at 19.22 after a 4.19% decline.
Commodity markets posted significant moves during the session. Brent oil for May delivery declined 12.74% or 12.61 to close at $86.35 a barrel. US crude for April delivery also moved lower, down 13.13% or 12.44 to trade at $82.33 a barrel. In contrast, the April Gold Futures contract rose 2.61% or 133.04 to $5,236.74 a troy ounce.
In foreign-exchange trading, EUR/USD was unchanged, moving 0.14% to 1.17, while EUR/GBP was unchanged, moving 0.05% to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures declined 0.59% to 98.58.
The market action on Tuesday showed broad participation among sectors cited as contributors to the index advance, with raw materials, utilities and industrials registering notable gains. Equity breadth favored rising issues, while selected technology and consumer-related names posted declines.