Belgian Shares Slip at Close; BEL 20 Falls 1.00%

Belgian stocks finished lower on Wednesday, as weakness in the industrials, consumer services and financial sectors weighed on shares.

At the closing bell in Brussels, the BEL 20 was down 1.00%.

Syensqo SA (EBR:SYENS) was the session's best performer, gaining 0.80% or 0.65 points to end at 81.65. Elia (EBR:ELI) advanced 0.67% or 0.80 points to close at 120.10, while Aperam SA (AS:APAM) rose 0.34% or 0.16 points to 46.68 in late trade.

Ackermans & Van Haaren NV (EBR:ACKB) led the decliners, dropping 2.18% or 6.00 points to trade at 269.60 at the close. Anheuser Busch Inbev SA NV (EBR:ABI) lost 2.07% or 1.42 points to settle at 67.34, and Solvay SA (EBR:SOLB) was down 1.90% or 0.50 points to 25.84.

On the Brussels Stock Exchange, declining issues outnumbered gainers by a count of 68 to 25, with 13 shares ending unchanged.

Gold futures for December delivery rose 0.17%, or $7.45, to $4,446.45 per troy ounce. Elsewhere, October crude oil climbed 3.62%, or $3.37, to hit $96.40 per barrel, while November Brent oil advanced 3.40%, or $3.33, to trade at $101.25 per barrel.

In currency markets, EUR/USD moved 0.09% to 1.16, while EUR/GBP moved 0.03% to 0.86.

The US Dollar Index futures contract was down 0.03% at 98.75.