FTSE MIB Halts Two-Day Drop

The FTSE MIB rose 0.3% to around 42,000 on Thursday, halting a two-day decline and moving in line with regional peers.

Traders continued to digest the Federal Reserve’s latest policy move, in which the central bank cut rates by 25 bps as expected and signaled the possibility of at least two more reductions before year-end.

Despite this, Fed Chair Jerome Powell struck a cautious tone on further easing, describing the move as a risk-management measure in response to a softening labor market.

Across the Eurozone, attention turns to the Bank of England, which is expected to hold interest rates steady.

On the corporate front, strong gains were seen from Ferrari (+1.4%), Leonardo (+1.8%), Prysmian (+2.2%), and STMicroelectronics (+2.1%).

Finance stocks were also among early gainers, including Banco (+1.4%), Banca Mediolanum (+1.1%), and Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (+2.6%).