The Swedish stock market showed upward momentum by the end of Thursday's trading session, with the OMX Stockholm 30 index registering a 0.50% gain. This increase was largely driven by notable developments in three primary sectors: Healthcare, Financials, and Basic Materials, where overall positive activity supported the broader market rally.
Leading gains amongst the index constituents was EQT AB (ST:EQTAB), which experienced a robust 3.80% increase, closing at 374.70 SEK after adding 13.70 points during the session. Similarly, Tele2 AB (ST:TEL2b) rose 2.40%, ending the day at 159.90 SEK with a 3.75-point gain. Skanska AB ser. B (ST:SKAb) also contributed to the upward move, advancing 2.14% to close at 271.70 SEK, up 5.70 points.
Conversely, certain stocks faced downward pressure. Essity AB B (ST:ESSITYb) saw the largest decline among the OMX Stockholm 30 companies, tumbling 7.41% to end at 251.30 SEK, reflecting a 20.10-point drop. SAAB AB ser. B (ST:SAABb) retreated 4.30%, closing at 691.50 SEK after losing 31.10 points. Epiroc AB Class A (ST:EPIRa) declined by 2.30%, finishing the session at 225.10 SEK with a 5.30-point decrease.
Overall market breadth showed strength, with 536 stocks closing higher compared to 211 that fell, while 62 stocks were unchanged on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.
Commodity pricing over the session reflected mixed trends; crude oil for March delivery declined 2.06%, losing $1.25 to settle at $59.37 per barrel. Brent crude for March fell 1.96% to $63.96 per barrel, down $1.28. In contrast, gold futures for February delivery gained 0.86%, adding $41.55 to trade at $4,879.05 per troy ounce. Currency markets also fluctuated slightly, with EUR/SEK decreasing 0.41% to 10.59 and USD/SEK falling 0.89% to 9.02. Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index Futures slid 0.37% to 98.19, reflecting a modest weakening of the dollar.