The Ibex 35 changes sign in the middle of the session and is left 0.3% weighed down by Grifols (-11%)

MADRID, 4 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Ibex 35 changed sign at midday this Monday and fell 0.3%, reaching 10,035.5 points, weighed down by the declines in Grifols (-11%), whose capitalization remains in a strong state of volatility. since the presentation of its accounts last week and whose audit, carried out by KPMG, will foreseeably be known this week.

Within the macroeconomic agenda, this morning it was learned in Spain that the number of unemployed registered in the offices of public employment services fell by 7,452 people in February in relation to the previous month, which represents a decrease of 0.27% in percentage terms, according to data published this Monday by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy.

For its part, Social Security gained an average of 103,621 contributors in February compared to the previous month (0.5%), its largest increase in this month since 2007, driven by hospitality and education, which between them added almost 60,000 new contributors.

In the business field, Línea Directa has informed the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) that it closed the whole of 2023 with net losses of 4.4 million euros, compared to the profits of 63.1 million recorded during the previous exercise.

However, the insurer has highlighted that in the fourth quarter of the year it achieved a net profit of 8.1 million euros and, adding the result of the third quarter, the net profit for the second half of 2023 was 10.7 million euros. euros.

For its part, the European Commission has 'stopped the clock' in its study of the purchase operation of Air Europa by Iberia, as sources from IAG, the holding company that owns the Spanish airline, have informed Europa Press.

The 'stop the clock' instrument is commonly used in this type of process and serves to collect additional information without consuming the regulated time.

Thus, in the middle section of trading this Monday, the biggest increases within the Ibex 35 were recorded by Acciona (2.3%), Acciona Energía (2.25%), ACS (1.02%), Caixabank, Banco Sabadell and Bankinter (1% each), while the 'red lanterns' were Grifols (-11%, placing its share below 8 euros), Cellnex (-1.64%), Mélia Hotels (-1 .57%), Endesa (1.55%), Fluidra (-1.5%) and Naturgy (-1.42%).

The main European markets also opted for corrections in the same section: Paris was down 0.01%; Frankfurt 0.06%; Milan 0.1% and London and 0.4%.

In other geographies, it is worth noting that the selective Nikkei, the main reference index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, closed this Monday's session with an advance of 0.5% that allowed it to reach 40,109.23 points, its highest level. high since it began to be calculated in 1950, thanks to the weakness of the yen and the subsequent inflow of foreign capital.

At the same time, the price of a barrel of Brent quality oil, a reference for the Old Continent, fell by 0.35%, to 83.26 dollars, while that of Texas stood at 79.6 dollars. 0.5% less.

The 'black gold' thus moderated the morning increases after learning this Sunday of the decision of several members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), as well as Russia, to extend the restrictions in the second quarter of the year. its crude oil supply.

In the foreign exchange market, the price of the euro against the dollar advanced to 1.0852 'greenbacks', while in the debt market the interest required on the 10-year Spanish bond fell to 3.29%, with the risk premium (the differential with the German bond) at 88.5 points.