Stocks in Sweden finished the trading day in positive territory on Thursday, with the benchmark OMX Stockholm 30 posting a modest gain. The index closed up 0.14% as sector-level strength in Oil & Gas, Telecoms and Industrials underpinned the session.
The session's top performers on the OMX Stockholm 30 included Evolution AB (ST:EVOG), which advanced 3.62% - an increase of 20.80 points - to close at 594.60. SAAB AB ser. B (ST:SAABb) rose 3.30%, or 21.90 points, ending the session at 685.80. Industrial equipment maker Alfa Laval AB (ST:ALFA) added 2.35%, a gain of 12.20 points, to reach 531.60 by the close.
Conversely, several bank stocks were among the weakest performers. Svenska Handelsbanken AB A (ST:SHBa) fell 2.43% or 3.40 points to finish at 136.55. Swedbank AB ser A (ST:SWEDa) declined 1.77%, losing 6.00 points to close at 332.10. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB A (ST:SEBa) was down 1.76% or 3.30 points to 184.05 at the close.
On the broader exchange, declining issues outnumbered advancing ones. There were 390 stocks that fell versus 333 that gained, while 78 issues finished unchanged.
Commodity markets moved notably during the session. Crude oil for April delivery climbed 8.77%, an increase of 7.65, to settle at 94.90 dollars per barrel. Brent crude for May delivery rose 8.15% or 7.50 to 99.48 dollars per barrel. In contrast, the April Gold Futures contract declined 0.91%, a drop of 47.34, trading at 5,131.76 dollars per troy ounce.
Foreign exchange rates involving the Swedish krona also shifted. The euro traded stronger versus the krona, with EUR/SEK up 0.92% to 10.76. USD/SEK rose 1.29% to 9.33. Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index Futures were higher, up 0.43% at 99.65.
The close left the benchmark index marginally higher after a session of mixed breadth and sizeable moves in energy markets. Market participants recorded strong gains in selected stocks while several large-cap financials weighed on the overall advance.