Financial markets in Spain - statistics & facts
Spain has one of the world’s largest economies, ranking 15th by nominal GDP and, in the aftermath of Brexit, fourth in the European Union (EU). The country is home to a highly developed financial sector, which is primarily in Madrid. The country’s capital, already one of the major financial centers in Western Europe, gained greater influence as a financial hub after the United Kingdom left the EU, and it became a popular destination for financial companies relocating as a result of ‘Brexit’. Despite this, Spain does not figure among the countries with the largest stock markets worldwide, which include four other European countries. The absence of Spain in such ranking comes as no surprise given the noticeably small weight that the financial services sector have in Mediterranean nation’s economy.
The domestic and international benchmark stock market index of the Spanish stock exchange is the IBEX35, which consists of the 35 most liquid stocks traded in the Spanish stock exchanges. The development of the Ibex 35 stock market index has experienced major fluctuations during the last decades, but has yet to reach pre-recession levels. In 2007, before the financial crisis hit, the Ibex 35 recorded a record of 15,182 index points, far from the 8,229 points registered at the end of 2022. Included among the most prominent companies listed in the Ibex 35 are ArcelorMittal, Telefónica ,and Banco de Sabadell SA. Those are, moreover, the companies in the Ibex 35 with the largest attributed net income.
Stock exchanges in Spain
The Spanish stock exchange market includes four regional markets, which are Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia and Madrid. Since 2002, they have all fallen under the umbrella of the company Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME), which is the operator of all stock markets and financial systems in the country and is one of the largest stock exchanges in Europe.The domestic and international benchmark stock market index of the Spanish stock exchange is the IBEX35, which consists of the 35 most liquid stocks traded in the Spanish stock exchanges. The development of the Ibex 35 stock market index has experienced major fluctuations during the last decades, but has yet to reach pre-recession levels. In 2007, before the financial crisis hit, the Ibex 35 recorded a record of 15,182 index points, far from the 8,229 points registered at the end of 2022. Included among the most prominent companies listed in the Ibex 35 are ArcelorMittal, Telefónica ,and Banco de Sabadell SA. Those are, moreover, the companies in the Ibex 35 with the largest attributed net income.
