The Spanish stock index Ibex-35 opened lower for the third consecutive session with a decline of more than 1% on Thursday, in the face of a new tough message from the Federal Reserve and the lack of new stimulus to the economy in China.

The minutes of the Fed's last meeting showed that the pause in rate hikes is likely to be short-lived and the US central bank will continue to tighten financing conditions to try to curb inflation.

European markets were also weighed down by the fall in the Chinese stock market, as hopes of new economic stimulus from Beijing receded, and the escalation of the trade battle between China and the United States.

In any case, the market is still awaiting the employment report to be published in the United States on Friday, to which Thursday's ADP private employment data will serve as an appetizer.

"We will see if a moderation of the labor market is confirmed, allowing for a soft landing, or on the contrary a strength that requires further interest rate hikes and the maintenance of interest rates at high levels for a good season in order to ensure price stability," said the securities house Renta 4 in its daily report.

At 07:14 GMT on Thursday, Spain's selective Ibex-35 stock market index was down 100.80 points, or 1.06%, to 9,385.50 points, while the FTSE Eurofirst 300 index of large European stocks was down 0.94%.

In the banking sector, Santander lost 1.06%, BBVA fell 0.95%, Caixabank gave up 0.95%, Sabadell fell 1.07%, Bankinter dropped 0.34% and Unicaja Banco lost 1.32%.

Among the large non-financial stocks, Telefónica fell 2.01%, Inditex dropped 1.61%, Iberdrola dropped 0.72%, Cellnex fell 0.62%, and the oil company Repsol lost 0.91%.

(Information by Tomás Cobos; edited by Flora Gómez)