The Ibex 35 opened this week with a slight retreat, slipping about 0.3 percent to hover near 7,962 at 09:01 local time. Traders are positioning for the Federal Reserve to announce its next rate move within the coming days, a decision that could set the tone for global markets. Markets expect a cautious stance, with a potential rate increase leaning toward 100 basis points attached to the commentary and guidance the Fed may provide about the path ahead.
Investors are also watching events in Europe, where the Bank of England faced its own pressures after leadership changes and postponed deliberations surrounding policy. The market anticipates a gradual tightening, with a favored rate rise around 50 basis points as the region responds to provisional inflation data and energy price considerations.
From Friday’s session, Madrid’s principal index fell about 1.25 percent, contributing to a weekly decline near 0.6 percent. The index started the session just below the important psychological level of 8,000 as energy costs and concerns over a renewed cycle of monetary tightening weighed on sentiment amid fresh inflation readings.
Among leaders and laggards in the early trading rounds, some of the sharper declines came from ArcelorMittal, down around 1.6 percent, followed by Merlin Properties at about 1.47 percent and Inditex near 1.45 percent. Sacyr and Acerinox registered losses close to 1.4 percent and 1.2 percent, while Mapfre fell just under 1.2 percent. On the gain side, Naturgy Energy climbed about 1.7 percent, Red Eléctrica advanced roughly 0.93 percent, Grifols gained around 0.48 percent, Iberdrola inched up about 0.19 percent, and Bankinter gained roughly 0.12 percent as market participants reassessed exposure across sectors.
The broader European session followed suit with a softer start. Frankfurt and London opened down about 0.6 percent, while Paris showed a larger dip, around 0.9 percent, signaling a cautious tone across the continent as investors absorb macro signals and policy expectations for the months ahead.
In the commodities market, Brent crude, a standard reference for quality oil in Europe, traded down about 0.62 percent, dipping near $90 per barrel. In the United States, the Texas benchmark slipped around 0.92 percent, trading near $83 per barrel, reflecting ongoing concerns about supply resilience and demand dynamics in a volatile global energy environment.
Meanwhile, the euro hovered just under parity with the U.S. dollar, trading around 0.9973. The Spanish risk premium held steady near 113 basis points, while the ten-year Spanish governmental yield marked about 2.91 percent, signaling a balanced but sensitive reaction to both regional and international policy updates. Market participants remain attentive to central bank communications and inflation data that could alter risk sentiment and asset allocation in the near term.