The Stockholm Stock Exchange experienced a downturn today, influenced by anxieties surrounding international trade negotiations and escalating geopolitical instability in the Middle East, especially following the reduction of U.S. embassy staff in Iraq. The OMXS30 index closed down 0.72% at 2,481.49, with a total trading volume of approximately SEK 22.2 billion.

Among the exchange’s major sectors, energy demonstrated the strongest performance with a 0.4% increase, while real estate lagged, declining by 2%.

Within the OMXS30 index, SEB and Tele2 shares each rose by 0.5%.Conversely, SBB B experienced the most significant decline, falling by 5.2%, followed by Kinnevik, which dropped by 3.5%.

Individual Stock Highlights

Clas Ohlson, the home improvement retailer, saw its shares surge by 16.9% following its year-end report. The report revealed an increased dividend of SEK 7, up from SEK 4.25 the previous year. Organic sales grew by 10% in the fourth quarter, with a sharp increase in EBITA. The company also reported higher sales for May.

The consortium of EQT and Olof Hallrup finalized its bid for the business system company Fortnox after waiving the acceptance condition.The consortium has secured approximately 61.6% of Fortnox’s shares, bringing their total control to 80.5% when combined with shares already owned by Olof Hallrup. Fortnox shares increased by 2.8% to SEK 89.78, slightly above the bid price of SEK 89.75.

“Organic sales grew by 10% in the fourth quarter, with a sharp increase in EBITA.”

Ratos announced that the IPO of its subsidiary, Sentia, was oversubscribed nearly 15 times, excluding shares allocated to anchor investors. This will provide Ratos with a gross volume of approximately SEK 1.4 billion. ratos shares increased by 1.4% following the announcement.

Hexagon, a measurement technology company, has reached an agreement to acquire The Water, a French company specializing in aircraft mapping. Hexagon aims to enhance its geospatial data platforms through this acquisition. however, its shares decreased by 2.5%.

Powercell is expanding its strategic partnership with German company Bosch to accelerate the deployment of hydrogen-powered fuel cells in China. Bosch has also acquired extended IP rights to adapt Powercell’s S3 stack for the Chinese market, in a deal valued at around EUR 6 million. Powercell’s share price fell by 5.3%.

Eworks’ president and CEO, Karin Schreil, has announced her resignation, effective at the end of the year. The company’s shares subsequently fell by 2.1%.

Construction firm Skanska saw a slight decrease of 0.1% in its share price, despite signing two new agreements in the United States valued at $98 million (approximately SEK 1 billion) and $60 million (approximately SEK 620 million), respectively.

Real estate company Atrium Ljungberg has entered into a new six-year lease agreement with telecom provider Ericsson for office space in Gothenburg. The agreement covers over 31,500 square meters and will commence in April 2026. The company’s shares declined by 2.4%.

On the analyst front,Nordea upgraded inductue to “buy” from “hold,” while Dnb carnegie downgraded Thule to “hold” from “buy.” Inductue’s share price decreased by 0.3%, and Thule’s fell by 2.3%.