Ibex 35 opened the session with a modest gain of 0.29%, lifting the index to 9,462.36 as investors digest the latest Spanish Consumer Price Index data. The inflation figure now sits on the agenda ahead of the European Central Bank Governing Council meeting scheduled for next Thursday, where policy steps are under close scrutiny by traders and officials alike. The market watchers are weighing how current price pressures and growth signals might shape the ECB’s next move, with expectations centering on whether to pause or renew tightening, and a likely quarter-point shift on the table if new data and the global growth outlook demand it. — Attribution: Eurostat, national statistical offices
Spain’s Public Treasury announced upcoming debt auctions, revealing 1,500 million and 2,500 million euros to be raised through the third issue in September. The sales will include 3- and 9-month bonds as part of the government’s ongoing debt management strategy in a volatile rate environment, aimed at stabilizing financing costs and ensuring liquidity in short‑term markets. — Attribution: national treasury releases
Before the market opened, data showed Spain’s CPI rising by 0.5% in August from July, with the year-on-year pace ticking up by three tenths to 2.6%. The rise is linked to higher prices for fuel oil, lubricants, and personal vehicle fuels, while food prices contributed a slower pace, edging higher by three tenths to 10.5% year over year. These movements frame the inflation narrative that the ECB will weigh in its upcoming decision and guide near-term market expectations. — Attribution: Eurostat, national statistical offices
In the United Kingdom, the unemployment rate for the May–July period came in at 4.3%, a half-percentage-point increase from the previous quarter. The reading adds another layer to the regional macro backdrop as European markets prepare for the ECB session and assess the broader labor market dynamics across developed economies. — Attribution: Office for National Statistics
The top performers on the Ibex 35 during the early trading hours included Inditex, up 0.98%, Banco Sabadell, up 0.62%, Meliá Hotels International, up 0.50%, Amadeus IT Group, up 0.46%, and CaixaBank, up 0.42%. These gains contrasted with declines in Repsol, down 1.03%, and Acciona, down 0.25%, highlighting the mixed sector rotation as traders weigh energy costs, industrial activity, and tourism demand against tighter monetary policy expectations. — These movements illustrate how market sentiment shifts with sector-specific news and global policy signals.
Across European equities, markets opened higher following a positive close on Wall Street, with the Nasdaq gaining 1.14% in the prior session. London rose 0.29%; Milan 0.27%; Paris 0.25%; and Frankfurt 0.13%, as regional sentiment remained buoyed by corporate earnings, economic data releases, and expectations around policy normalization. — Attribution: regional market summaries
Tesla shares surged just over 10% the previous day, trading at $273.58 after a Morgan Stanley note suggested the market value of Elon Musk’s company could rise by more than $500 billion thanks to the Dojo supercomputer. The system is poised to accelerate the training of artificial intelligence models for autonomous driving, underscoring the ongoing intersection of tech innovation and financial markets. — Attribution: company filings and analyst commentary
Oil markets showed Brent crude, the European benchmark, edging higher at the opening on the day, up 0.19% to $90.81 per barrel, while WTI in Texas hovered around $87.56, up 0.31%. The energy complex remains a key driver for inflation expectations and cost-of-capital calculations across global markets, influencing equities, swaps, and fixed income spreads. — Attribution: market data providers
In the foreign exchange arena, the euro firmed to around 1.0734 against the dollar, reflecting ongoing hedging and cross-border trade dynamics. On the debt side, Spain’s 10-year bond yielded about 3.688%, a gauge of long-run financing costs amid policy uncertainty and macro data releases. — Attribution: market data providers