Spain's stock market finished the trading day lower on Wednesday, with the IBEX 35 closing down 1.10% in Madrid as several broad sectors recorded declines.
The session saw the Financial Services & Real Estate, Building & Construction and Consumer Services sectors contribute materially to the downward pressure on the index.
Among individual components, Merlin Properties SA (BME:MRL) was the top performer on the IBEX 35, rising 1.60% or 0.20 points to close at 12.72. Cellnex Telecom SA (BME:CLNX) added 1.59% or 0.40 points to finish at 25.56, while Telefonica (BME:TEF) gained 1.37% or 0.05 points to end the session at 3.39.
On the downside, Banco de Sabadell SA (BME:SABE) recorded the steepest decline among the large listed names, falling 2.94% or 0.10 points to settle at 3.20. ACS Actividades de Construccion y Servicios SA (BME:ACS) dropped 2.65% or 2.55 points to close at 93.80, and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA (BME:BBVA) was down 2.64% or 0.57 points to 21.06.
Decliners outnumbered advancers on the Madrid Stock Exchange, with 103 stocks falling versus 84 that rose; 23 shares finished unchanged.
Commodities posted notable moves during the session. Gold Futures for April delivery climbed 4.07% or 208.49 to trade at $5,329.09 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for delivery in March rose 0.59% or 0.37 to $62.76 a barrel, while the April Brent oil contract increased 0.47% or 0.31 to trade at $66.90 a barrel.
Currency markets were mixed. The euro lost ground against the dollar, with EUR/USD down 0.87% to 1.19. EUR/GBP was unchanged 0.40% to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures moved higher by 0.31% to 96.35.
Market breadth and moves in commodities and currencies added context to the session, while several large-cap names provided pockets of strength amid a broadly lower close.