Swedish equities closed lower on Monday, with broad weakness across several cyclical sectors pushing the OMX Stockholm 30 down 1.50% to a new one-month trough.
Sector pressure was led by losses in Basic Materials, Industrials and Oil & Gas, contributing to a market where declining issues far outnumbered gainers.
Top performers
- SAAB AB ser. B (ST:SAABb) was the session's strongest mover, adding 3.09% - a gain of 20.20 points - to finish at 673.50.
- Evolution AB (ST:EVOG) rose 0.93%, up 5.20 points to close at 566.60.
- Swedbank AB ser A (ST:SWEDa) edged higher by 0.33%, or 1.10 points, to 333.40 at the close.
Largest decliners
- AB SKF B (ST:SKFb) led losses, sliding 3.81% - down 9.00 points - to finish at 227.10.
- ASSA ABLOY AB ser. B (ST:ASSAb) dropped 3.34%, a decline of 12.00 points, to 347.40.
- Epiroc AB Class A (ST:EPIRa) fell 3.31%, down 8.10 points to 236.50.
Market breadth was tilted toward sellers, with 627 stocks falling compared with 152 advancing; 43 issues remained unchanged.
Commodities and FX moves
Energy markets moved markedly during the session. Crude oil for April delivery rose 3.99%, or $3.63, settling at $94.53 a barrel. Brent for May added 7.30%, or $6.77, to reach $99.46 a barrel. In precious metals, the April Gold Futures contract declined 0.90%, a fall of $46.46, to trade at $5,112.24 per troy ounce.
In currency trading, EUR/SEK was essentially flat, changing by 0.04% to 10.65, while USD/SEK increased 0.40% to 9.19. The US Dollar Index Futures was slightly firmer, up 0.09% at 99.07.
Overall, the session reflected sector-led selling that translated into a pronounced negative breadth on the Stockholm exchange, even as a small set of stocks posted gains.