Spain's equity market closed higher on Wednesday, with the IBEX 35 gaining 1.49% to register a new all-time closing high in Madrid. The upward move was propelled by strength in the Financial Services & Real Estate, Telecoms & IT and Chemical, Petroleum & Plastic sectors.
Leading the index's winners, Acciona (BME:ANA) posted the session's largest advance, climbing 8.29% - a rise of 16.80 points - to finish at 219.40. Banco Santander (BME:SAN) added 4.81%, up 0.51 points to close at 11.16, and Laboratorios Farmaceuticos ROVI (BME:ROVI) rose 4.41%, or 3.45 points, ending the day at 81.65.
On the downside, Aena SME SA (BME:AENA) recorded the biggest decline on the IBEX 35, slipping 1.42% - down 0.39 points - to settle at 27.06. Industria de Diseno Textil SA (BME:ITX) fell 1.18%, a loss of 0.68 points to 56.86, while Puig Brands SA (BME:PUIGb) declined 1.10%, or 0.18 points, to 16.23.
Advancers outpaced decliners on the Madrid Stock Exchange, with 117 stocks rising against 75 that fell. Sixteen issues finished unchanged.
Notable milestone moves included Acciona and Banco Santander both reaching five-year highs on the uptick in their shares, while Laboratorios Farmaceuticos ROVI moved to a 52-week high during the session.
Commodities and currency markets showed mixed signals alongside the stock gains. Gold Futures for April delivery were reported up 1.12%, a rise of 58.06 to $5,234.36 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for April delivery fell 0.24%, down 0.16 to $65.47 a barrel, while the May Brent oil contract inched higher by 0.09%, up 0.06 to trade at $70.64 a barrel.
Across currency pairs, EUR/USD was effectively unchanged at a 0.31% move to 1.18, and EUR/GBP also saw marginal movement, unchanged at 0.18% to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures moved lower by 0.18%, trading at 97.59.
Market participants will note the breadth of sector leadership - with financial, telecoms and chemical-related stocks supporting the index's advance - while select names in travel and retail posted losses. The mixed picture in commodities and currencies indicates that underlying inputs and exchange rates moved in different directions during the trading session.