Drag factor among the heavyweights in the OMXS30 index was the telecom giant Ericsson, which surged 18 percent. In the morning, the company reported a significant profit increase and announced plans to raise dividend payments next year. The next best performer was the telecom operator Telia, up 2 percent.
At the bottom of the OMXS30 were the heat pump manufacturer Nibe and the measurement technology company Hexagon, which lost 2.1 and 1.4 percent, respectively.
The risk capital company EQT fell 0.7 percent after the news that the Economic Crime Authority suspects eight people of insider crimes in connection with SEB's sale of large EQT shareholdings. The Financial Supervisory Authority is initiating an examination of the bank's routines. SEB's share fell 0.9 percent.
On the leading European stock exchanges, the trend was mixed. In London and Paris, the index movements were small, while the Frankfurt stock exchange fell by about 0.5 percent.
In Asia, there were mostly declines. The Tokyo stock exchange's index, Nikkei, closed at minus 2.6 percent, and the Hong Kong stock exchange's Hang Seng index lost 1.7 percent.
The krona weakened by a few öre against the dollar and the euro. When the stock exchange closed, one dollar cost 9.55 kronor and one euro cost 11.07 kronor.
