The BEL 20 index reached a record high on Wednesday, closing at 4,978.80 points, up 0.46%, after nearing the symbolic 5,000-point mark.
Thirteen stocks on the index posted gains, led by Umicore, which surged 4.03% to €17.82.
Heavyweights arGEN-X and AB InBev rose by 2.10% and 1.29%, reaching €701.60 and €52.00, respectively. In contrast, KBC and Ageas saw slight declines of 0.25% and 0.60%, ending at €100.60 and €58.35.
Lotus Bakeries climbed 1.29% to €7,870, while Sioen increased 0.88% to €66.62. However, UCB and Solvay fell by 0.54% and 2.02%, with Solvay losing early-morning gains of over 4%.
Elia rose by 0.68% to €103.70. Melexis added 1.73% to reach €64.55, and Azelis gained 1.69%, closing at €10.85. Meanwhile, D’Ieteren declined by 1.64%, finishing at €156.20.
Real estate stocks showed mixed results, with Montea rising 0.87% to €69.90 and Sofina climbing 1.67% to €243.20.
IBA stood out with a remarkable jump of 6.80%, closing at €11.62. Galapagos advanced by 1.90% to €29.30, and Sequana Medical gained 2.60%, ending at €0.81. In contrast, Celyad plunged 7.30% to €0.24.
Compagnie du Bois Sauvage surged 3.90% to €264.00, while CMB.TECH, Econocom, and Exmar all posted gains above 2%, closing at €8.09, €1.71, and €10.26, respectively. However, Barco (€12.83), Immobel (€23.50), and BNB (€438.00) dropped by more than 2%.
At around 4:30 pm, the euro was trading at $1.1625, up from $1.1590 the previous day. A one-kilogramme gold bar was priced at approximately €116,205, an increase of €1,640.
