Belgium stocks higher at close of trade; BEL 20 up 0.91%

Belgian stocks closed higher on Wednesday, buoyed by gains in the Healthcare, Utilities, and Consumer Services sectors. The BEL 20 index rose 0.91%, with argenx SE leading the pack by surging 3.84% to trade at 746.20. UCB SA and Azelis Group NV also saw increases, gaining 2.07% and 1.67% respectively, reaching 202.00 and 13.42. Conversely, Melexis NV, Umicore SA, and D’Ieteren NV saw declines of 2.89%, 0.77%, and 0.40% respectively.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones 51 to 38, with 14 finishing unchanged. Azelis Group NV shares reached 52-week highs, and gold futures for December delivery fell by 1.93% to $4,096.62 per troy ounce. Crude oil for November delivery rose 1.36% to $95.42, while Brent oil's December contract climbed 0.48% to $106.20. The EUR/USD exchange rate slipped 0.67% to 1.11, while EUR/GBP remained unchanged at 0.85. The US Dollar Index Futures increased by 0.65% to 102.64.