The Ibex 35 of the Madrid Stock Exchange recorded a decline of 0.33% at midday on this Monday, which meant falling below the threshold of 20,100 points. Specifically, the main Spanish index stood at 20,085 points at 12:00 hours, on a day conditioned by the rise in tensions in the Middle East, which have led the price of crude oil to approach 90 dollars.
During the weekend, Israel carried out new bombings on Lebanon that have caused more than a dozen fatalities. At the same time, the president of the USA, Donald Trump, stated that he will "declare" the Strait of Hormuz U.S. territory "very soon," once the war against Iran is concluded.
"When we have finished defeating Iran, which is suffering a crushing defeat, I will very soon declare the Strait of Hormuz U.S. territory. Essentially, that is what it is," Trump noted, insisting that "no ship passes" through this strategic enclave for global oil and gas unless permitted by the USA.
From Tehran, the Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, replied to Trump on his social media that "the Strait of Hormuz cannot be taken with tweets, aircraft carriers, decrees, or electoral speeches." "So far, (the USA) has suffered serious strategic defeats; the Strait of Hormuz was, is, and will be Iranian; it will only be opened and closed under Iranian command, and as long as they do not accept the reality of defeat and do not abandon their illusions, Iran will continue to impose the blockade," he emphasized.
At the same time, the commander-in-chief of the Iranian Army, General Amir Hatami, has promised a reward equivalent to more than 20,000 euros for killing or capturing U.S. military personnel, reiterating his commitment to maintain "resistance" against Washington and Israel "until their total defeat."
"Anyone who captures or kills a member of the U.S. aggressive forces will receive a reward equivalent to 30,000 dollars (about 21,500 euros) or 5 billion Iranian rials," Hatami announced in statements reported by the news agency IRNA.
In parallel, the Israeli Minister of National Security, the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir, proposed this Monday that the Israeli Army execute each night and in a "selective" manner between "30 and 40" Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, considering that "they do not deserve to live there."
In this scenario, the price of Brent crude oil, a reference in Europe, was up 1.3% at midday of the Old Continent's stock exchanges, reaching 89.65 dollars, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI), a reference in the United States (US), rose 0.86%, to 83.1 "greenbacks" per barrel.
The European stock markets show a mixed behavior
In the macroeconomic realm, investors have few references this Monday, waiting for next week's start of the Jackson Hole central bankers' summit, from which signals are expected regarding the next steps in interest rates.
Before the bell rang, the GDP data of Japan was released, whose economy grew in the second quarter below expectations: 0.3% on a quarterly basis, two tenths less than in the previous period, and 1.1% year-on-year, compared to the 1.9% recorded in the first quarter.
In Spain, the National Institute of Statistics (INE) published at 9:00 AM the business turnover figure, which increased by 8.9% in June, four points more than in May and its highest level since March 2025, thus chaining four consecutive months of increases.
In the corporate sphere, Duro Felguera has notified the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) of the convening of an extraordinary general shareholders' meeting for next September 18, in order to approve one of the key projects of its new stage, the Tula project, a combined cycle power plant that it will develop together with Mota-Engil Mexico.
At 12:00 PM this Monday, the largest advances within the Ibex 35 corresponded to Sacyr (+0.76%), ArcelorMittal (+0.72%), Endesa (+0.68%), Solaria (+0.58%) and Acerinox (+0.55%). On the loss side, the most pronounced declines were those of Colonial (-1.43%), Cellnex (-1.27%), Puig (-0.94%), Telefónica (-0.9%) and Merlin (-0.83%).
On the other hand, the main European exchanges were moving with a mixed sign at midday. London and Milan were up 0.03% and 0.31%, respectively, while Frankfurt and Paris were down 0.06% and 0.15%.
In the foreign exchange market, the euro appreciated against the dollar, reaching an exchange rate of 1.1595 "greenbacks" (+0.22%), while in sovereign debt, the yield of the Spanish ten-year bond rose to 3.634%, raising the risk premium —the differential against the German ten-year bond— to 44.1 basis points.