Spanish equities finished the trading day in positive territory on Monday, with the IBEX 35 registering a gain of 0.78% at the close in Madrid. Sector strength was led by Financial Services & Real Estate, Chemical, Petroleum & Plastic and Building & Construction, which collectively underpinned the broader uptick in shares.
Leading and lagging names
Among constituents, Bankinter (BME:BKT) delivered the strongest performance on the index, climbing 2.90% or 0.41 points to close at 14.38. Caixabank SA (BME:CABK) added 1.95% or 0.21 points to finish the session at 10.72, while Unicaja Banco SA (BME:UNI) rose 1.86% or 0.05 points to end at 2.85.
On the downside, Amadeus IT (BME:AMA) led losses, slipping 1.43% or 0.84 points to close at 58.00. Industria de Diseno Textil SA (BME:ITX) declined 1.20% or 0.66 points to finish at 54.34, and Acerinox (BME:ACX) fell 1.14% or 0.15 points to 12.96.
Market breadth and milestones
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners on the Madrid Stock Exchange by 103 to 85, and 22 stocks finished unchanged. Notably, shares of Unicaja Banco SA reached all-time highs in the session, rising 1.86% or 0.05 to 2.85.
Commodities and currencies
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for April delivery were higher, up 2.21% or 110.81 to $5,127.81 a troy ounce. Energy complex moves were mixed: crude oil for March delivery fell 0.43% or 0.26 to $60.81 a barrel, while the April Brent contract eased 0.26% or 0.17 to trade at $64.90 a barrel.
On the foreign exchange front, EUR/USD moved up 0.47% to 1.19. EUR/GBP is reported at 0.87 with an unchanged 0.12% reading. The US Dollar Index Futures traded lower, down 0.64% at 96.78.
Key takeaways
- IBEX 35 closed up 0.78%, driven by gains in financials, chemicals and construction-related sectors.
- Bankinter, Caixabank and Unicaja were the session's top performers; Amadeus, ITX and Acerinox lagged.
- Gold rallied while crude and Brent oil slipped; the euro strengthened against the dollar.
Risks and uncertainties
- Commodity price volatility - fluctuations in oil and gold prices may influence energy and materials-related sectors.
- Currency movements - changes in EUR/USD and EUR/GBP rates could affect exporters and importers within the market.
- Mixed stock performance - while market breadth favored advancing issues, notable declines among major names signal uneven sector activity.