Amsterdam shares slip as chip stocks retreat after rally

The AEX index closed 0.4% lower at 1,140 points on Thursday, according to Dutch news agency ANP. ASML, Besi and ASM International were among the fallers, with declines ranging from 0.5% to 1.9%.

A late price quoted by market site Beursgenoten put ASML down 1.92% at €1,376.80. The site did not identify that price as the official closing price.

The losses followed a stronger session on Wednesday, when the AEX rose 1.1%. US Markets reported that ASML gained 3.14%, Besi 5.94% and ASM International 6.97% that day.

Thursday’s decline was not shared across all Dutch stocks: the MidKap index gained nearly 0.2% to 1,123.97, ANP reported. Markets in Frankfurt, London and Paris also closed higher.

ANP linked the Amsterdam losses to developments at US chipmaker Nvidia. Earlier in the day, financial site Beleggen.co had also pointed to chip stocks and shares trading ex-dividend as factors weighing on the AEX.