{
  "id": 2401101,
  "title": "Belgium stocks higher at close of trade; BEL 20 up 1.11%",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/belgium-stocks-higher-at-close-of-trade-bel-20-up-1-11",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-21T16:05:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Investing.com",
    "slug": "investing-com",
    "url": "https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/belgium-stocks-higher-at-close-of-trade-bel-20-up-111-4871937"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Belgian stocks closed higher on Friday, with the BEL 20 index gaining 1.11% to reach a new one-month high. The Consumer Goods, Healthcare, and Basic Materials sectors played a significant role in driving the gains. Aperam SA (AS:APAM) led the pack with a 3.64% increase, closing at 45.02 points. Umicore SA (EBR:UMI) and D’Ieteren NV (EBR:IETB) also performed well, with gains of 2.41% and 2.12% respectively. On the downside, Elia (EBR:ELI) was the worst performer, slipping by 0.39%. In total, 63 stocks rose, 24 fell, and 16 remained unchanged, indicating a clear dominance of rising stocks. Meanwhile, gold futures for December delivery saw a 2.25% increase, reaching $4,674.31 per troy ounce. Crude oil for October delivery increased by 0.05%, while the October Brent oil contract rose by 0.58%. The EUR/USD exchange rate held steady at 1.17, and EUR/GBP remained unchanged at 0.86. The US Dollar Index Futures also decreased by 0.09%.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}