Spain's equity benchmark closed lower on Thursday, with the IBEX 35 falling 1.21% at the end of trading in Madrid. Sector-level weakness in Financial Services & Real Estate, Telecoms & IT and Consumer Services contributed to the downward pressure on the market.
Among individual names, the strongest performers on the IBEX 35 were:
- Merlin Properties SA (BME:MRL) - up 3.23% or 0.44 points to close at 14.08.
- Repsol (BME:REP) - rose 2.33% or 0.55 points to finish at 24.17.
- SOLARIA ENERGIA Y MEDIO AMBIENTE (BME:SLRS) - gained 1.63% or 0.38 points, ending the session at 23.71.
The weakest names on the index were:
- Redeia Corporacion SA (BME:REDE) - down 3.56% or 0.53 points to 14.36 at the close.
- Grifols SA (BME:GRLS) - fell 3.48% or 0.31 points to 8.65.
- ArcelorMittal SA (BME:MTS) - declined 3.45% or 1.59 points to 44.51.
Market breadth in Madrid was negative, with 123 stocks declining versus 67 advancing, and 17 remaining unchanged.
Notably, SOLARIA ENERGIA Y MEDIO AMBIENTE (BME:SLRS) reached a three-year high during the session, with its 1.63% gain taking the share price to 23.71.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for June delivery were lower, falling 3.48% or 159.66 to $4,425.84 a troy ounce. Energy markets moved higher: crude oil for May delivery rose 4.95% or 4.47 to $94.79 a barrel, while the June Brent contract increased 4.75% or 4.62 to trade at $101.88 a barrel.
Currency markets showed small changes: EUR/USD was effectively unchanged at 1.15 - a 0.21% move reported - and EUR/GBP was unchanged at 0.86 with a 0.03% move reported. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.29%, trading at 99.69.
The session leaves the IBEX with a clear downward close amid uneven stock-level performance, as gains in select property and energy names were offset by broader sector losses.