Madrid - Spain's equity market closed lower on Wednesday, with the benchmark IBEX 35 retreating 0.42% at the end of trading. Sector declines in Chemical, Petroleum & Plastic, Financial Services & Real Estate and Consumer Services were the primary drags on the market.
On the IBEX 35, Grifols SA (BME:GRLS) was the top performer, rising 2.06% - a gain of 0.18 points to finish at 9.02. Utility Endesa SA (BME:ELE) advanced 0.76%, adding 0.30 points to close at 39.84. Technology and services group Indra A (BME:IDR) also climbed 0.76%, up 0.37 points to 49.24 by the session's end.
At the other end of the spectrum, pool and irrigation equipment maker Fluidra (BME:FLUI) led losses, sliding 2.85% or 0.53 points to close at 18.08. Energy company Repsol (BME:REP) dropped 2.22%, losing 0.54 points to finish at 23.82. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA (BME:BBVA) fell 1.60%, down 0.36 points to 22.21.
Market breadth favored decliners: on the Madrid Stock Exchange, 97 stocks fell versus 88 that advanced, while 23 finished unchanged. Notably, shares of Fluidra fell to fresh 52-week lows, closing at 18.08 after the 2.85% decline.
Commodities markets moved lower in the session. Gold Futures for August delivery declined 0.46% - down $18.90 - to $4,050.80 a troy ounce. In oil markets, August delivery crude fell 0.43%, slipping $0.34 to $79.00 a barrel, and the September Brent contract eased 0.48% or $0.41 to $84.32 a barrel.
In foreign exchange trading, the euro was little changed versus the dollar, with EUR/USD essentially flat at 1.14, a movement of 0.11%. EUR/GBP moved lower, falling 0.69% to 0.85. Across broader currency benchmarks, the US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.18% at 100.53.
Overall, the session reflected modest selling pressure across energy and financial names that outweighed gains in select healthcare and industrial-related issues. The IBEX 35's small decline contrasted with several individual winners, while commodity and FX markets showed relatively contained moves.
Market snapshot
- IBEX 35 -0.42% at close
- Advancers/Decliners: 88/97, 23 unchanged
- Gold (Aug) -0.46% to $4,050.80 per troy ounce
- Crude Oil (Aug) -0.43% to $79.00 per barrel; Brent (Sep) -0.48% to $84.32
- EUR/USD ~1.14; EUR/GBP 0.85