Stock Markets February 17, 2026

Swedish Equities Drift Higher as Healthcare, Telecoms and Financials Provide Lift

OMX Stockholm 30 closes up 0.27% with AstraZeneca reaching an intraday milestone

By Jordan Park
Swedish Equities Drift Higher as Healthcare, Telecoms and Financials Provide Lift

Stocks in Sweden ended Tuesday's session in positive territory, led by gains in Healthcare, Telecoms and Financials. The benchmark OMX Stockholm 30 rose 0.27% at the close. AstraZeneca posted the session's largest advance and reached an all-time high, while a greater number of listings declined than rose across the exchange. Commodities and currency markets moved lower and higher respectively, with notable falls in crude, Brent and gold futures and modest gains for the euro and US dollar versus the krona.

Key Points

  • OMX Stockholm 30 closed up 0.27%, with Healthcare, Telecoms and Financials leading gains.
  • AstraZeneca (ST:AZN) rose 2.64% to 1,886.00, reaching an all-time high during the session; Skanska (ST:SKAb) and Evolution (ST:EVOG) were also among top performers.
  • Decliners outnumbered advancers 402 to 322; commodities fell - crude, Brent and April gold futures all posted declines, while EUR/SEK and USD/SEK strengthened modestly.

Market close overview

Sweden's main equity gauge finished higher on Tuesday, with sector strength in Healthcare, Telecoms and Financials supporting the rally. At the close in Stockholm the OMX Stockholm 30 was up 0.27%.


Top and bottom performers

The session's leading stock on the OMX Stockholm 30 was AstraZeneca PLC (ST:AZN), which advanced 2.64% - a 48.50 point gain - to finish at 1,886.00. The move brought AstraZeneca to an all-time high during the session.

Other notable winners included Skanska AB ser. B (ST:SKAb), which rose 1.85% or 4.90 points to close at 269.40, and Evolution AB (ST:EVOG), up 1.65% or 8.60 points to 528.80 in late trade.

On the downside, Boliden AB (ST:BOL) recorded the largest loss among the benchmark components, falling 2.78% or 18.00 points to end at 628.40. Epiroc AB Class A (ST:EPIRa) slipped 1.16% or 3.00 points to 255.80, while Sandvik AB (ST:SAND) declined 1.11% or 4.20 points to finish at 372.90.


Market breadth

Despite the headline gain, market breadth was weaker on the day: declining issues on the Stockholm Stock Exchange outnumbered advancing ones by 402 to 322, and 77 listings finished unchanged.


Commodities and currency moves

In commodity markets, crude oil for April delivery fell 1.21% or 0.76 to $61.99 a barrel. Brent oil for April delivery dropped 2.33% or 1.60 to $67.05 a barrel. The April Gold Futures contract declined 3.23% or 163.01 to trade at $4,883.29 a troy ounce.

Currency moves showed both the euro and the US dollar strengthening versus the Swedish krona. EUR/SEK rose 0.62% to 10.65 and USD/SEK increased 0.73% to 9.00. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.37% at 97.18.


What the session shows

The close reflects a market where sector-level gains in Healthcare, Telecoms and Financials helped push the benchmark higher while overall participation favored decliners. Commodity prices moved lower and the krona weakened against major currencies by modest margins.

Risks

  • Weaker breadth despite a higher close - more stocks fell than rose (402 decliners vs 322 advancers) which could indicate uneven participation across sectors - this primarily affects equity market confidence.
  • Declines in commodity prices - crude oil, Brent and gold all fell in the session, which could present revenue and margin pressures for energy and materials companies.
  • Currency volatility - a stronger euro and dollar versus the krona may influence exporters and importers differently, potentially impacting competitiveness for some Swedish companies.

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