When does the Madrid stock market open and close: complete guide to hours

The Schedule Every Trader Must Know

If you wonder when the Spanish stock market opens, the answer is clear: at 9:00 am local time (CEST). The regular trading session closes at 5:30 pm. These hours apply from Monday to Friday, with Saturdays and Sundays being non-trading days.

The Madrid Stock Exchange is the epicenter of the Spanish market, coordinated through the SIBE (Sistema de Interconexión Bursátil Español), which integrates four main exchanges: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Bilbao. Understanding exactly when the stock market opens is essential if you want to trade the IBEX 35, the index that groups the 35 largest market capitalizations in the country.

Complete Breakdown of the Trading Hours

This schedule repeats every trading day. The auctions function as mechanisms that determine the opening and closing prices, collecting all unexecuted orders and new instructions during the auction period.

Why Is Knowing the Exact Schedule Crucial?

The Madrid Stock Exchange hosts the largest companies in the country with international reach. Here you find giants like BBVA, Banco Santander, Inditex, Ferrovial, and ACS. If you participate in these stocks, you need to operate within the active trading window to ensure liquidity and order execution.

Additionally, the IBEX 35 index, created on January 14, 1992, sets the trend of the Spanish market. Its behavior depends entirely on whether the exchange is open.

Pre-market and After-market Hours

It’s not just about the main hours. The exchange also allows:

Pre-market period (Opening Auction): Between 8:30 am and 9:00 am, you can place orders that will cross at the market price calculated during this auction. This is when orders from the previous close converge with new orders for the day.

After-market period (Closing Auction): From 5:30 pm to 5:35 pm, the closing auction is executed to set an equilibrium price for orders without a counterparty during the regular session.

History and Evolution of the Exchange

The Madrid Stock Exchange has deep roots in Spanish economic history. It was founded on September 10, 1831, by jurist Pedro Sainz de Andino. Operations began on October 20 of the same year, with banks, railroads, and steel companies as the first participants.

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, other exchanges were established: Bilbao (1890), Barcelona (1915), and Valencia (1980). The integration of the four into the SIBE occurred in 1995, and since 2001, Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME) manages all operations.

Converting Hours to Spanish-speaking Capitals

If you trade from abroad, here are the opening and closing times of the Madrid Stock Exchange in different cities:

Holidays and Special Days

The trading calendar for 2025 includes closures on:

• January 1 (New Year)
• April 18 (Good Friday)
• April 21 (Monday)
• May 1 (Labor Day)
• December 25 and 26 (Christmas)

Occasionally, there are shortened sessions with reduced hours. You can check the official Trading Calendar for details.

Getting Started Trading on the Madrid Stock Exchange

To participate in the Spanish stock market opening hours, the process is simple:

1. Register on an authorized platform
2. Make your initial deposit
3. Access the available stocks in IBEX 35 or other indices
4. Trade within the established hours

Knowing exactly when the stock market opens positions you strategically to capture key movements, especially in those first moments after the opening auction, where volatility is higher and opportunities more frequent.