Norwegian equities finished the trading day with a slight gain on Wednesday as sector-level strength offset a narrowly negative breadth on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The Oslo OBX closed up 0.17%.
Gains were concentrated in Healthcare Equipment & Services, Pharma Biotech & Life Sciences and Utilities, which collectively helped push the benchmark higher by the close.
Top movers
- Hoegh Autoliners ASA (HAUTO) led the OBX winners, climbing 3.80% - an increase of 4.60 points - to finish at 125.70.
- Norsk Hydro ASA (NHY) added 2.44%, advancing 2.14 points to close at 89.72.
- Subsea 7 SA (SUBC) rose 2.41%, gaining 6.20 points to end the session at 263.80.
Heavier decliners
- SalMar ASA (SALM) was the session laggard on the OBX, sliding 2.12% or 12.50 points to finish at 577.50.
- Tomra Systems ASA (TOM) fell 1.98%, a 2.30-point decline to 114.10 at the close.
- Mowi ASA (MOWI) dropped 1.91%, down 4.40 points to 226.20.
Market breadth was narrowly tilted to the downside: 131 stocks fell while 129 advanced on the Oslo exchange, and 20 ended the session unchanged.
Several individual stock milestones were recorded during the session. Hoegh Autoliners' shares moved up to 52-week highs, finishing the day 3.80% higher at 125.70. Tomra Systems' shares declined to 52-week lows, ending the session at 114.10 after a 1.98% fall. Subsea 7 reached an all-time high in the session, closing up 2.41% at 263.80.
Commodities and currencies
Energy and metals markets showed mixed moves during the trading day. Crude oil for April delivery fell 0.34%, or 0.22, to trade at $65.41 a barrel. Brent oil for May delivery eased 0.04%, or 0.03, to $70.55 a barrel. In metals, the April Gold Futures contract rose 0.73%, or 37.66, to trade at $5,213.96 a troy ounce.
Currency moves included EUR/NOK rising 0.29% to 11.27, while USD/NOK was effectively unchanged, moving 0.03% to 9.55. The US Dollar Index Futures declined 0.12% to 97.66.
The session closed with a modest overall advance for the OBX, driven by select sector strength and a handful of notable individual stock moves amid mixed commodity and FX developments.
Key takeaways
- Oslo OBX finished up 0.17%, supported by gains in Healthcare Equipment & Services, Pharma Biotech & Life Sciences and Utilities.
- Hoegh Autoliners, Norsk Hydro and Subsea 7 were the top OBX performers; SalMar, Tomra Systems and Mowi underperformed.
- Market breadth was narrowly negative with 131 decliners, 129 advancers and 20 unchanged; commodities and FX displayed mixed movements.