The Madrid Stock Exchange opened higher, with the Ibex 35 advancing in early trading this Monday as the market kicked off with a 1.45% gain. The session momentum carried the Madrid selector into positive territory, reflecting a broad strength across Spain’s main equities amid a backdrop of concurrent gains across major European indices.
In the opening minutes of the debate on market direction in the Plaza de la Lealtad, banking stocks led the Ibex 35 with the sharpest moves.
Sabadell led the pack with a notable rise of 4.26%, positioning it ahead of the rest of the banking sector as the day began. Santander and BBVA followed with gains of 3.59% and 3.16% respectively, underscoring the sector’s strong start to the week and the market’s appetite for financials amid improving lending conditions and expectations for profitability.
Other notable bank performers included Unicaja Banco, which climbed 3.03%, and CaixaBank, up 2.92%, while Bankinter shared in the positive sentiment with a 2.73% increase. The elevated activity in the financials helped cushion broader indices and contributed to a more buoyant overall mood among investors assessing domestic growth prospects and capital market performance.
Apart from the banking segment, the Ibex 35 saw gains across several other components in the early session. Rovi rose 2.16%, extending its positive trajectory, and Grifols increased by 2.07%, highlighting continued investor interest in healthcare and life sciences equities within the Iberian market.
On the downbeat side of the opening, Cellnex recorded the sole decline among the principal Ibex 35 constituents, slipping 0.74%. This move contrasted with a subset of other blue chips, reflecting a blended immediate risk-reward dynamic at the opening bell.
Meanwhile, Merlin Properties managed a modest gain of 0.33%, while Acciona posted a slight uptick of 0.35%, signaling a cautious appetite for real estate and infrastructure exposures amid steady demand for property and sustainable investments.
Across the continent, the early hours of trading in major European markets showed a generally constructive tone. The DAX in Frankfurt gained roughly 1.10%, signaling resilience in the German economy and a favorable reception to corporate earnings and industry signals. In Paris, the CAC 40 advanced about 1.19%, while London’s FTSE 100 climbed around 0.90%, indicating that the European equity landscape was broadly supportive to start the week and aligned with positive momentum in Spain.
Investors appeared to be balancing domestic indicators with broader international cues, weighing economic data, corporate results, and central bank outlooks as the session progressed. The mix of gains in banks and select non-financials, alongside minor weakness in a handful of stocks, painted a nuanced picture of market sentiment as traders moved to position for upcoming catalysts, including earnings reports and macroeconomic updates from across Europe and North America.
Overall, the session opened with a clear tilt toward risk-on in several large European markets, with Spain contributing to the narrative of steady, if selective, upside driven by financials and healthcare names. The day’s early price action suggested investors were routing capital toward financials with potential improvement in earnings prospects, while keeping an eye on broader inflation and growth signals that could shape market directions in the days ahead.