Investing.com – Belgium stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Consumer Goods, Utilities and Industrials sectors led shares higher.
At the close in Brussels, the BEL 20 added 1.57% to hit a new 1-month high.
The best performers of the session on the BEL 20 were Aperam SA (AS:APAM), which rose 4.24% or 1.06 points to trade at 26.06 at the close. Meanwhile, ING Groep NV (AS:INGA) added 3.38% or 0.342 points to end at 10.454 and Anheuser Busch Inbev SA NV (BR:ABI) was up 3.38% or 2.12 points to 64.75 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Ontex Group (BR:ONTEX), which fell 3.57% or 0.66 points to trade at 17.84 at the close. UCB (BR:UCB) declined 2.02% or 1.56 points to end at 75.84 and Etablissementen Franz Colruyt NV (BR:COLR) was down 0.92% or 0.58 points to 62.34.
Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Brussels Stock Exchange by 77 to 33 and 15 ended unchanged.
Gold Futures for February delivery was down 0.74% or 9.55 to $1282.75 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in February rose 2.92% or 1.52 to hit $53.59 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract rose 2.24% or 1.37 to trade at $62.55 a barrel.
EUR/USD was down 0.33% to 1.1357, while EUR/GBP rose 0.42% to 0.8808.
The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.32% at 96.018.