Everything you need to know about the Madrid Stock Exchange closing hours

If you are a trader or investor interested in the Spanish markets, it is crucial to understand when the Madrid Stock Exchange actually operates. Although many refer to “the stock exchange” as a single entity, Spain actually has the SIBE (Spanish Interconnection Stock Market System), which integrates four coordinated stock exchanges: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Bilbao. The most important is the Madrid Stock Exchange, which leads trading activity and serves as the basis for the IBEX 35 index.

When does the Madrid Stock Exchange open and close?

The regular session of the Madrid Stock Exchange begins at 9:00 am in CEST (Central European Summer Time). Investors can start trading the most relevant Spanish market securities from that time.

On the other hand, the Madrid Stock Exchange closes at 5:30 pm local time. From that moment, regular trading ends and it is not possible to execute new orders at market price.

Daily structure: auctions and continuous session

What perhaps not everyone knows is that the operating hours of the Madrid Stock Exchange are not uniform throughout the day. Before the regular session begins, there is a phase known as opening auction, which operates between 8:30 am and 9:00 am. During this period, the market gathers pending orders from the previous session along with new orders entered during the auction, thus setting the opening price.

After the Madrid Stock Exchange closes at 5:30 pm, there is a second phase called closing auction, which extends until 5:35 pm. This mechanism allows executing those orders that did not find a counterparty during the trading day, establishing a final equilibrium price.

The continuous session, which is the main trading period, occurs between 9:00 am and 5:30 pm.

Weekly schedule: Monday to Friday

The Madrid Stock Exchange operates consistently on all business days:

The Madrid Stock Exchange remains closed on weekends and during holidays periodically published in its Trading Calendar. For 2025, holidays include: January 1, April 18 and 21, May 1, December 25 and 26.

Why is it important to know these hours?

The Madrid Stock Exchange concentrates the most influential companies in the Spanish business fabric. It lists global entities such as BBVA and Banco Santander in the financial sector, internationally renowned construction companies like ACS, Ferrovial, or Acciona, and Inditex as the largest retailer in the market. These companies have strong projections in Latin American economies, which amplifies the relevance of the IBEX 35 internationally.

Knowing the closing time of the Madrid Stock Exchange and understanding the entire schedule structure is essential for anyone wishing to operate without restrictions on these capitalized values. Knowing when the market closes allows you to plan your trades, set limit orders before the session ends, and anticipate the auction phases.

Madrid Stock Exchange hours from Latin America

If you trade from Spanish-speaking countries outside Spain, it is useful to know the time equivalents:

An institution with history

The Madrid Stock Exchange was founded on September 10, 1831, through the Law of Creation of the Madrid Stock Exchange, drafted by the Sevillian jurist Pedro Sainz de Andino. Operations began on October 20 of the same year, with banks, steel companies, and railroads as the first traded assets. The Bilbao (1890), Barcelona (1915), and Valencia (1980) stock exchanges would later be integrated into the system. In 1995, they were coordinated through the SIBE, and since 2001, management has been under Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME). The IBEX 35 was created on January 14, 1992, as a benchmark index of the 35 largest capitalizations in the Spanish market.