The Ibex 35 began trading on Monday, the first session of the week, with a modest gain of 0.09 percent, lifting the index to 10,074.2 points as investors watched Spain’s February unemployment and affiliate data. In February, the number of people registered as unemployed at the public employment offices declined by 7,452 compared with January, a drop of 0.27 percent, according to the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy. Meanwhile, social security added an average of 103,621 contributors in February versus January, a 0.5 percent rise, the largest monthly increase since 2007, driven by gains in hospitality and education, which together accounted for nearly 60,000 new contributors. In a related development, the European Commission paused its clock on the Iberia-Air Europa deal, confirming to European sources that the stop the clock instrument was activated to gather additional information without consuming the standard review period. In early trading, the biggest gains within the Ibex 35 were registered by Grifols, Iberdrola, Indra, and Acciona, while Endesa, ACS, and Acciona Energia lagged behind with declines. Major European stock exchanges opened lower this Monday, with drops of 0.20 percent in Milan, 0.14 percent in London, 0.09 percent in Paris, and 0.01 percent in Frankfurt. At market open, Brent crude, the European benchmark, rose 0.26 percent to 83.77 dollars per barrel, while Texas light crude stood at 80.08 dollars, up 0.14 percent. In the currency market, the euro climbed to 1.0852 against the dollar, while Spanish 10-year government bond yields rose to 3.314 percent amid renewed debt concerns. [Market reports and economic data sources]
