Spanish Stocks Slide Amid Inflation Fears and Rising Oil Prices

Spanish equities closed lower on Monday as concerns about inflation and interest rates continued to weigh on investor sentiment.

The IBEX 35 index fell 0.14% at the close, extending a cautious mood seen across European markets.

Rising oil prices were a major driver of the decline, with Brent crude climbing above $97 a barrel and WTI trading around $93 a barrel.

This increase in energy costs can feed into inflation, potentially keeping central banks more cautious about cutting interest rates.