Investor rediscovers Brussels stock exchange: fifth more transactions in first half of 2025

The number of transactions on the Brussels stock exchange rose by a fifth in the first six months of this year, according to an analysis by De Tijd. Several companies with a 'story' saw their share orders multiply.

Investors are rediscovering European stocks this year. In February, this led to the first closing record for the Euro Stoxx 50 star index since 2000, and the Brussels stock exchange surfed on that wave. The Bel20 climbed by around 5 percent in the first half of the year and is currently still 3 percent below its record 18 years ago, when the index reached 4,756.82 points.

The number of transactions in Brussels rose even more sharply. That figure rose by almost a fifth to 6.8 million in the first six months, according to a study by De Tijd based on figures published by the stock exchange operator Euronext on its website.

A transaction occurs when the buyer and seller agree on the price. The number of transactions is a good barometer for the popularity of a stock, because unlike stock market turnover, for example, the parameter is not colored by a one-off order of millions.

Pharmate ears

Despite the increase, Brussels scored slightly less than the average for Euronext, which also includes the Amsterdam, Paris, Dublin, Lisbon, Oslo and Milan stock exchanges. The latter, in particular, gained popularity, with almost a third more transactions (+32%) thanks to the rediscovery of banks (UniCredit, Intesa Sanpaolo, Monte dei Paschi) and defense (Leonardo). Paris (+21%) and Amsterdam (+18%) also experienced a significant boost. Brussels thus saw its market share decline slightly again, to a modest 4 percent of all orders executed on the Euronext exchanges.

Among the 100 most traded stocks on the pan-European stock exchange, there are four Belgian stocks: AB InBev (39 between Safran and Campari), Argenx (73), UCB (82) and KBC (93). The share of Dutch chip machine manufacturer ASML is the only one that recorded more than 4 million transactions on Euronext.

The 100 most traded stocks on the pan-European stock exchange include four Belgian stocks: AB InBev (39), Argenx (73), UCB (82) and KBC (93).

AB InBev - which is seeing more and more trade shift to Wall Street, where the brewer also notes - had more than 850,000 transactions. Investor interest in Bel20 pharmaceutical companies, Argenx (+58%) and UCB (+62%), increased by around 60 percent after their miracle year 2024, despite a stock price that declined. Tubize, the monoholding company above UCB that is trading at a substantial discount, saw the number of transactions more than double (+143%). Same for Elia (+104%), thanks to the relief rally after the network operator's long-awaited capital round.

Remarkable: trading in the chemical players Solvay (-32%) and Syensqo (-8%) declined, so the conclusion remains that the division of the old Solvay does not provide the expected value creation.

Outliers

Among smaller and medium-sized stocks, Gimv (+102%) stands out, which saw trading double after the 'un-Flemish' ambitious capital round. At the Greek cement group Titan (+110%), which is listed in Brussels, investors have already made an advance on the US subsidiary's subsequent successful Wall Street IPO.

The outliers were often companies with a story that certainly aroused the interest of small investors: the tragedy surrounding the balance sheet of the Ekopak water purifier (+338%) translated into a large fourfold increase in trade; at Vastned (+638%), the merger with the Dutch mother led to seven times more trade. Conversely, the volume of freely tradable stocks at CMB.tech (-57%) and Exmar (-43%), which is reduced to the absolute minimum, logically translates into a corresponding decline in interest.

Oxurion experienced the biggest decline in the number of transactions (-78%) in the first half of the year. Now that the wandering biotech company is going to invest in bitcoin and ethereum, a turnaround is likely to follow. Last week, Oxurion was already the most traded Belgian stock in Keytrade Bank's stock market app.

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References

• Source: De Tijd
• Link: https://www.tijd.be/markten-live/nieuws/aandelen-brussel/belegger-herontdekt-brusselse-beurs-vijfde-meer-transacties-in-eerste-helft-2025/10617438.html
• Author: Kurt Vansteeland, Christophe De Rijkce
• Photo: Kristof Vadino
• Date: 30/07/2025

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