Spanish equities closed modestly lower on Thursday, with the IBEX 35 finishing the session down 0.18% and marking a fresh one-month low.
Sector weakness in Building & Construction, Consumer Services and Financial Services & Real Estate was the primary force behind the downward pressure on the market. Market breadth in Madrid was slightly negative, with 97 stocks declining versus 92 advancing, and 19 ending unchanged.
Top and bottom movers
Among IBEX 35 components, SOLARIA ENERGIA Y MEDIO AMBIENTE (BME:SLRS) was the session's best performer, rising 1.85% - up 0.33 points to close at 17.89. Telefonica (BME:TEF) gained 1.46%, adding 0.05 points to finish at 3.63, while Cellnex Telecom SA (BME:CLNX) advanced 1.41%, up 0.35 points to 25.23.
On the downside, ACS Actividades de Construccion y Servicios SA (BME:ACS) led decliners, sliding 4.44% - down 4.50 points to 96.80 at the close. ArcelorMittal SA (BME:MTS) dropped 3.07%, a fall of 2.04 points to 64.38, and Puig Brands SA (BME:PUIGb) was lower by 2.41%, down 0.43 points to 17.42.
Commodities, currencies and indices
Commodities registered notable moves during the session. Gold Futures for December delivery fell 1.24%, a decline of 55.25 to $4,405.45 a troy ounce. Oil markets were higher: crude oil for October delivery rose 5.72% or 5.49 to $101.54 a barrel, and the November Brent contract climbed 5.61% or 5.68 to trade at $106.89 a barrel.
Currency markets showed little change in euro pairs reported in the session - EUR/USD was essentially unchanged, moving 0.04% to 1.16, and EUR/GBP was unchanged at 0.86, a 0.09% move reported in the data.
The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.14% at 98.95.
Market context and data notes
Overall, downward pressure in construction and select consumer and financial-real estate names outweighed gains in energy and telecoms, leaving the broader market fractionally lower at the close in Madrid. The session's commodity volatility - notably in oil and gold - added to cross-market moves observed in equities and currency pairs.
Market participants recorded the session's individual stock moves and broader index performance as part of usual end-of-day reporting; 97 stocks closed lower, 92 higher and 19 unchanged on the Madrid exchange.