Complete guide on when the Spanish stock exchange opens: trading hours

The Madrid Stock Exchange represents Spain’s most important financial engine and is essential for any investor to know precisely when the Spanish stock market opens and its respective trading hours. This exchange underpins all market activity in the country and serves as the basis for the prestigious IBEX 35 index.

The Spanish stock market ecosystem: beyond Madrid

Although commonly referred to as the Madrid Stock Exchange as the main financial institution, it is worth clarifying that Spain operates the SIBE (Spanish Interconnection Stock Market), which coordinates four markets simultaneously: Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, and Bilbao. This integrated structure, established in 1995, consolidated the previous fragmentation into a single operating system that has managed Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME) since 2001.

When does the regular session open and close?

The Spanish Stock Exchange opens its regular trading period at 9:00 am (CEST), extending until 5:30 pm local time. This schedule applies from Monday to Friday without variations, with weekends and certain holidays being the only days without activity.

The auctions: premarket and aftermarket

When the Spanish stock market opens in a technical sense, there are two auction phases that expand trading opportunities beyond regular hours. The opening auction operates between 8:30 am and 9:00 am, accumulating pending orders from the previous session along with new instructions that determine the opening price of the day.

Additionally, the closing auction occurs between 5:30 pm and 5:35 pm, establishing a equilibrium price that allows executing orders that did not find a counterparty during the regular session.

Importance of knowing the schedule: key companies and projection

The Madrid Stock Exchange concentrates all major Spanish corporations with significant international reach. It lists large financial entities such as BBVA and Banco Santander, leading international construction companies like ACS, Ferrovial, and Acciona, as well as the sector’s largest retail operator, Inditex. This composition makes the Madrid market a mirror of the Spanish economy with a particular impact on Latin American markets.

Historical trajectory of the Spanish market

The institution was founded on September 10, 1831, through the Law of Creation of the Madrid Stock Exchange, drafted by jurist Pedro Sainz de Andino. Operations began on October 20 of the same year with banks, steel companies, and railway companies as main actors. Subsequent development included the creation of Bilbao (1890), Barcelona (1915), and finally Valencia (1980), the most recent addition.

The IBEX 35 index, which groups the 35 companies with the highest market capitalization, was launched on January 14, 1992, and has become the barometer of the Spanish economy.

Non-operating calendar for 2025

The Spanish Stock Exchange closes on official public holidays. For 2025, these include:

• January 1 (Wednesday)
• April 18 and 21 (Friday and Monday)
• May 1 (Thursday)
• December 25 and 26 (Thursday and Friday)

Additionally, there may be shortened sessions with limited hours.

International time correspondence

For investors in Spanish-speaking regions, the local times when the Spanish stock market opens are:

• Caracas: 3:00 am - 11:30 pm
• Lima: 2:00 am - 10:30 pm
• Buenos Aires: 4:00 am - 12:30 pm
• Mexico City: 1:00 am - 9:30 pm
• Santiago de Chile: 3:00 am - 11:30 pm
• Bogotá: 2:00 am - 10:30 pm
• La Paz: 3:00 am - 11:30 pm
• Quito: 2:00 am - 10:30 pm
• Montevideo: 4:00 am - 12:30 pm