FTSE MIB Rises for 2nd Session
2026-02-18 08:52
By
Judith Sib-at
1 min. read
Italy’s FTSE MIB climbed 0.8% to above 46,100 in early trading on Wednesday, marking a second consecutive session of gains, with financial stocks leading the advance.
Shares of Mediobanca surged more than 8% after majority-owner Banca Monte dei Paschi di Sienna said it would delist it while preserving its brand.
Monte dei Paschi di Siena gained 3.6%.
Other major financials also advanced, including UniCredit (+1.2%), Intesa Sanpaolo (+1.3%), Banco BPM (+1.7%), BPER Banca (+1.8%), and Banca Mediolanum (+1.7%).
Outside the banking sector, defence group Leonardo climbed 2.5%.
Investors now await the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve’s last meeting later in the day for further insights on the US rate outlook.
Geopolitics also remained in focus, with Iran reporting progress in nuclear talks with the US, while peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia continued.