Swedish equities closed lower on Monday, with sector-level declines in Financials, Healthcare and Industrials contributing to an overall downbeat finish. At the close in Stockholm, the OMX Stockholm 30 index fell 0.43%.
Among the best performers within the OMX Stockholm 30, Epiroc AB Class A (ST:EPIRa) climbed 2.01%, rising 5.20 points to finish at 264.40. Boliden AB (ST:BOL) added 1.88%, an advance of 12.40 points to close at 672.80, and Telia Company AB (ST:TELIA) gained 1.56% or 0.70 points to end the session at 45.63.
At the other end of the index, EQT AB (ST:EQTAB) led declines, sliding 8.85% or 26.20 points to close at 269.70. Evolution AB (ST:EVOG) fell 3.08%, down 16.40 points to 515.80, while SAAB AB ser. B (ST:SAABb) dropped 2.99% or 20.00 points to finish at 649.40.
On the Stockholm exchange overall, decliners outnumbered advancers by 518 to 233, with 63 issues unchanged at the close.
Several notable price milestones occurred during the session. Shares of Boliden AB (ST:BOL) reached an all-time high, advancing to 672.80. Evolution AB (ST:EVOG) fell to 5-year lows, closing at 515.80, and Telia Company AB (ST:TELIA) rose to 5-year highs at 45.63.
Commodities trading showed modest moves. Crude oil for April delivery slipped 0.24%, down 0.16 to trade at $66.32 a barrel. Brent oil for May delivery fell 0.25%, or 0.18, to $71.12 a barrel. In contrast, the April Gold Futures contract moved sharply higher, rising 2.94% or 149.39 to trade at $5,230.29 a troy ounce.
In foreign exchange markets, EUR/SEK was up 0.27% at 10.69, while USD/SEK rose 0.07% to 9.05. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.23% at 97.50.
Market takeaway - The session closed with more names in retreat than advance, and a set of concentrated moves among large-cap stocks shaped headline performance on the OMX Stockholm 30. Commodities and currency moves were mixed, with crude and Brent easing slightly and gold futures posting a strong gain.