The IBEX 35 kicked off this Friday with a modest 0.3% rise, nudging indicators toward the 7,829 mark as traders waited for the upcoming employment report from the United States. Markets paused for a moment to digest the latest data, while investors positioned themselves for the release that could influence risk sentiment and trading strategies across major indices.
After starting the day with a retreat of around 1% on September 1, the Madrid stock barometer managed to rebound from several sessions of decline. The index reclaimed the 7,800 level and remained perched near that psychological threshold as buyers stepped in, helping to stabilize sentiment in what has been a tense trading environment for European equities.
In the first hours of trade, notable gains were seen among several large-cap names: BBVA advanced about 1.4%, Amadeus rose roughly 1.35%, Meliá Hotels gained around 1.16%, Grifols moved up by 1.12%, Sabadell added about 0.97%, CaixaBank increased 0.84%, and Acerinox rose approximately 0.72%. In contrast, Iberdrola dipped around 0.76%, Red Eléctrica fell about 0.44%, Telefónica slipped 0.35%, and Endesa edged down by roughly 0.11% as traders rotated through sectors and weighed earnings expectations against macro risks.
Across the rest of Europe, the mood appeared broadly constructive in the opening hours. The German DAX index hovered around a 0.98% rise, the CAC 40 in Paris posted a gain near 0.69%, and the FTSE 100 in London was slightly firmer, up about 0.41% at the outset of the session.
On the commodities front, Brent crude, the European benchmark, traded higher, gaining around 2% and hovering near the $94 per barrel level. West Texas Intermediate also firmed, advancing about 2% to the $88 mark as supply concerns and demand signals supported commodity prices in the wake of ongoing geopolitical considerations and global economic data releases.
Meanwhile, currency markets showed the euro hovering near parity with the dollar, trading around 0.9979 per euro. The risk premium remained wide, approximately 117 basis points, reflecting ongoing uncertainty as investors weighed global growth prospects and monetary policy expectations. The Spanish 10-year government bond yielded about 2.760%, a level that captures the balance between inflation outlook and the borrowing environment for southern European issuers.