A trend that began last week when the main American indicators closed with losses: the Dow dropped by 2.37%, the S&P 500 by 3.10%, and the Nasdaq by 3.45%.
The trigger for the stock market tension on Monday would once again be Donald Trump: in an interview with the Fox channel on Sunday, he shared that an "economic transition period" marked by the tariffs that the US has already imposed or plans to impose on goods from other countries is expected. These statements further intensify geopolitical uncertainty. Additionally, as highlighted by analysts at Renta 4, the latest employment data in the US (below average and analysts' expectations) have shown certain macroeconomic weakness.
In the American market, the sectors that started the day with the most losses were communications and technology, with cuts of 2.63% and 2.34%, respectively, while the biggest gains were seen in the energy (0.68%) and real estate (0.45%) sectors.
European Stock Markets Close in the Red
Even before the opening of Wall Street, Monday's session saw declines in the European stock markets due to the uncertainty generated last week by Trump and his trade war. In fact, while China is implementing retaliatory tariffs today in response to those imposed by Trump, it will be next Wednesday when the US will execute its 25% tariffs on the import of steel and aluminum, as highlighted by analysts at Renta 4 in today's forecasts.
And finally, they closed Monday in the red: London fell by 0.95%; Paris by 0.90%; and Milan by 0.93%. The case of the Frankfurt stock exchange, leading the European declines with a cut of 1.69%, aligns with the German country's export data, showing a 2.5% decrease in January, below the expected 0.5% growth.
In the case of the Ibex 35, it fell by 1.32%, settling at 13,082.70 points. As noted by the analysts at Renta 4, the Spanish selective index was weighed down by "cyclical values" such as banks and steel companies, thus ending its three-session upward trend.
Among the top gainers of the Spanish selective index at the close of the session were Enagás (+3.78%), Redeia (+2.98%), Iberdrola (+1.18%), Telefónica (+1.02%), Endesa (+0.93%), and Aena (+0.09%).
On the other hand, among the decliners were ArcelorMittal (-4.76%), Banco Santander (-4.37%), Acerinox (-4.12%), Grifols (-3.41%), Sacyr (-3.40%), BBVA (-3.04%), and IAG (-2.82%).
The price of a barrel of Brent stood at $69.58 at the close of the European session, a decrease of 1.12%, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) traded with a drop of 1.19%, at $66.24.
In the currency market, the exchange rate of the euro against the dollar was at 1.0831 greenbacks, nearing yearly highs. Meanwhile, in the debt markets, the Spanish sovereign bond with a 10-year maturity closed the session with a yield of 3.483%, below Friday's 3.497%. Thus, the risk premium stood at 65.4 basis points.