Madrid Stock Exchange Trading Hours: Complete Guide to Sessions and Time Slots

The Madrid Stock Exchange is the main stock market in Spanish territory and operates under the coordinated system known as SIBE (Spanish Interconnection Stock Exchange System). This system integrates four stock exchanges: Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, and Bilbao. For any investor wishing to participate in the most significant securities of the Spanish market, it is essential to know what time the stock exchange opens and its different trading phases.

Operating Hours: When the Stock Exchange Operates

The market operates Monday through Friday according to an established trading calendar. The regular trading session includes:

Note: The indicated times correspond to the summer time zone (CEST). The stock exchange remains closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

What time does the stock exchange open exactly?

The market formally begins its regular operations at 9:00 am local Spanish time. However, there is a preparatory phase called the opening auction, which starts at 8:30 am. During this period, pending orders from the previous session along with new instructions issued during this time are collected, and their crossing determines the opening price.

Closing and post-session mechanisms

Continuous trading ends at 5:30 pm local time. Subsequently, the closing auction takes place, extending until 5:35 pm, during which an equilibrium price is established to execute certain orders that did not find a counterparty during the regular session.

Background and historical significance of the institution

The Madrid Stock Exchange was established on September 10, 1831, through the Law of Creation of the Madrid Stock Exchange, drafted by the prominent Sevillian jurist Pedro Sainz de Andino. Commercial operations began on October 20 of the same year, with the trading of securities from banking entities, steel companies, and railroads.

Spanish stock market expansion continued with the creation of the Bilbao Stock Exchange in 1890 and Barcelona in 1915. The Valencia market was later integrated in 1980. All of them were organized under the SIBE system from 1995, with Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME) as the entity responsible for their management since 2001.

The IBEX 35 index, created on January 14, 1992, groups the 35 companies with the highest market capitalization, serving as the main market indicator.

Significance for the investment ecosystem

Madrid concentrates almost all Spanish corporations with international relevance and a prominent presence in Latin American economies. Among the main listed companies are global financial entities such as BBVA and Banco Santander, construction firms with worldwide reach like ACS, Ferrovial, and Acciona, as well as Inditex, a leader in the retail sector.

Closure calendar: Holidays in 2025

The market remains closed during the following periods according to the Trading Calendar published:

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

Additionally, reduced sessions with shortened hours may be scheduled as determined by the managing entity.

Correspondence of hours in major Latin American capitals

For operators located in Spanish-speaking territories, the following table shows the time equivalence of opening and closing: