On Friday, the week’s final session began with the benchmark index showing a near-flat tone, drifting up a slim 0.03 percent and placing the index around 9,908.1 points. Wall Street was operating on a shortened session in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, keeping volumes light but sentiment tentative.
Trading desks held a watchful mood ahead of remarks from European Central Bank leaders, with Christine Lagarde and Luis de Guindos expected to speak, signaling potential guidance on monetary policy and inflation dynamics across the euro area.
Before the European markets opened, the latest inflation snapshot from Japan showed a 2.9 percent rise year over year in October after stripping out fresh food effects, suggesting price pressures remain firm in the world’s third-largest economy. Wall Street and European markets will be listening for the implications of that reading for growth and policy around the globe.
In Germany, the economy contracted by 0.1 percent from July to September, signaling a risk of a technical recession for Europe’s largest nation. The update from the Federal Statistical Office underscored a fragile expansion path and the ongoing impact of global supply chain interruptions and energy costs on domestic demand.
In the early hours of Friday’s session, the strongest moves within the Ibex 35 were led by Banco Sabadell, up 0.61 percent, followed by Bankinter with a 0.37 percent gain, IAG up 0.37 percent, and Rovi advancing 0.28 percent. At the opposite end, Merlin Properties and Fluidra lagged, down 1.70 percent and 0.84 percent respectively, with some shares trading without entitlement to dividends.
Across the continent, European markets opened with a mixed to flat tone. London traded lower by about 0.22 percent, while Paris inched higher, around 0.06 percent. Frankfurt and Milan posted marginal gains, roughly 0.02 percent each, underscoring a cautious investor posture amid mixed signals from corporate earnings and macro data.
Commodity markets showed Brent crude edging higher, with the benchmark strengthening close to 0.1 percent to about $81.50 per barrel. In contrast, U.S. crude prices slipped, pulling back to roughly $76.50 as concerns about demand and inventory levels weighed on near-term momentum.
In the currency market, the euro traded near $1.091, reflecting ongoing tensions around the eurozone’s growth outlook and policy trajectory. The Spanish 10-year government bond yield rose to about 3.64 percent, signaling a move to higher borrowing costs as investors reassess risk and inflation expectations in the region.