Norwegian shares finished the trading day in positive territory on Wednesday, with the Oslo OBX rising 0.52% to close at a new all-time high.
Sectors that contributed most to the advance included Healthcare Equipment & Services, Pharma Biotech & Life Sciences and Utilities, which outperformed the broader market during the session.
On the Oslo OBX, Aker BP ASA (OL:AKRBP) was the session's strongest performer, climbing 4.44% - an increase of 11.70 points - to finish at 275.00. Insurance and asset manager Storebrand ASA (OL:STB) gained 3.22% or 5.60 points to end at 179.70, while seafood producer SalMar ASA (OL:SALM) rose 2.15% or 12.50 points to close at 595.00.
Not all large-cap names shared in the rally. Kongsberg Gruppen ASA (OL:KOG) led decliners, slipping 4.25% or 16.00 points to trade at 360.65 at the close. Tomra Systems ASA (OL:TOM) fell 2.40% or 3.20 points to 130.30, and Yara International ASA (OL:YAR) was down 1.99% or 9.30 points to finish at 457.30.
Market breadth was tilted toward losers by the end of trading: 137 stocks declined versus 115 advancers on the Oslo Stock Exchange, while 23 issues finished unchanged.
Storebrand's shares reached an all-time high during the session, closing up 3.22% or 5.60 points at 179.70.
Commodities traded higher alongside the Norwegian market. US crude for March delivery rose 1.47% or 0.94 to $64.90 a barrel, while Brent for April delivery advanced 1.37% or 0.94 to $69.74 a barrel. April Gold Futures posted a 1.07% gain, rising by 53.61 to trade at 5,084.61 a troy ounce.
Currency movements were modest. The euro against the Norwegian krone (EUR/NOK) declined 0.30% to 11.27, while the US dollar against the krone (USD/NOK) was effectively unchanged, moving 0.05% to 9.50. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.22% at 96.89.
Wednesday's session thus combined a record close for the Oslo OBX with uneven internals: sector leadership in healthcare, pharma and utilities amid selective strength in energy-related names, while a number of industrial and technology-related large caps closed lower.