Brussels' Bel20 closes at record 5,979.01 points as US Democrats win midterms

Record close after the US midterms

The Bel20, the index of the twenty leading stocks on the Brussels exchange, closed at 5,979.01 points on Wednesday, 4 November, up more than 2.4%, or over 140 points, from Tuesday. That close beat the previous closing record of 5,879.05 points, set on 3 September, by nearly 100 points. European exchanges opened higher after the Democrats won the United States midterm elections, and Brussels followed that lead. The benchmark came close to 6,000 points without reaching that level on Wednesday.

2026-09-03 (previous closing record)5,879.05

2026-11-04 (new closing record)5,979.01

2026-09-03 (previous closing record)

5879.05 points

2026-11-04 (new closing record)

5979.01 points

Data from the article text

Intraday peaks

Around 10:15 the index rose above the intraday record of 5,905.83 points set on 28 August and briefly traded above 5,912 points. By around 15:00 it had reached 5,976.48 points, with almost all constituents trading higher. De Morgen puts the session high at 5,984.99 points, which replaced the earlier intraday peak in the tables. The session high was therefore set before the close, and the closing figure of 5,979.01 points is the one used for the closing record.

Umicore and the political backdrop

Metals group Umicore was the strongest gainer on the index. De Morgen and La Libre put its gain above 6%, while RTBF and Le Soir, writing earlier in the session, put it above 5%. Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) handed his resignation to the King on Monday, 2 November, two days before the index's rally. The index's gains therefore came while that resignation was on record with the King.