Spanish stock trading started Tuesday, the first session of April, with the Ibex 35 down 0.37% to 11,033.9 points. The Madrid index resumed activity after the Easter break, and investors faced the latest March unemployment figures and social security data for Spain as the month closed.
In March, the number of jobseekers registered at public employment offices fell by 33,405 compared with February, a 1.2% drop, according to data released by the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy. The improvement reflects a continuing labour market recovery as companies reopen after the holiday period.
Social Security showed 193,585 more contributors in March than in February, an increase of 0.9%, marking the second-largest rise for the month in the entire historical series. The boost was led by the hospitality sector, which added more than 81,000 affiliates thanks to the hiring surge associated with Easter holidays.
This week, investors will also be watching for inflation data in Europe on Wednesday and US employment figures on Friday, as market participants try to gauge the pace of global economic recovery.
On the corporate front, Rovi announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its schizophrenia medication Risvan for adults, a development the company conveyed to the Spanish Securities Market Commission.
Meanwhile, Nacho Abia, formerly an external director at Grifols, took over as chief executive on Monday, April 1, amid a corporate crisis sparked by the short-seller Gotham City Research. The firm is navigating the fallout and regulatory questions raised by the CNMV, with bidders and observers watching closely for the next moves.
Raimon Grifols and Víctor Grifols Deu have transferred their roles as chief corporate officer and chief operating officer, respectively, to Abia as of April 1. Both will remain as advisers during a transitional period that ends May 31, ensuring a smooth leadership handover as the company steadies its strategic course.
In other government news, the Ministry of Finance approved a 500 million euro injection into the State Industrial Participations Company (SEPI) to support the purchase of Telefónica shares, details that appeared in an official report from the State Audit Office.
Inditex resumed operations in Ukraine after two years of closure due to the ongoing conflict, launching online sales on Tuesday, April 2. The plan also includes reopening around 20 stores across seven brands, including three Zara locations, in the Kyiv region the following day, signaling a cautious return to normalcy in a key market.
Naturgy is convening its general shareholders’ meeting on Tuesday, in Madrid, with a main agenda item of approving a supplementary dividend of 0.40 euros per share. The session also marks an ongoing discussion about the company’s Gemini project, which aims to split the group into two listed entities.
In the early trading hours, Iberian blue chips showed mixed performance, with IAG posting a notable gain of 2.30%, Banco Sabadell up 1.81%, Sacyr advancing 1.80%, and Unicaja Banco adding 1.63%. On the downside, CaixaBank led the declines at 6.74%, followed by ACS at 3.05% and Aena down 2.91%.
Across Europe, major stock indices opened higher on Tuesday: London up 0.48%, Paris up 0.28%, Milan up 0.27%, and Frankfurt up 0.23%, reflecting a cautiously positive trading mood in the region.
At the market’s opening, Brent crude traded at $88.01 per barrel, up 0.67% from the prior close, while West Texas Intermediate stood at $84.30, up 0.7%. In the foreign exchange market, the euro traded at about 1.07 dollars, and Spanish 10-year government bonds yielded around 3.23%. These movements illustrate ongoing price adjustments as investors reassess energy, currency, and debt dynamics in a global backdrop of shifting policy cues.
Citations: Market data are aggregated from national financial briefings and company disclosures. Economic highlights reflect official labour and social security releases and corporate press communications released in early April.