FTSE MIB Falls Amid US-Iran War Escalation
2026-04-07 16:01
By
Isabela Couto
1 min. read
The FTSE MIB fell 0.5% to close at 45,412 on Tuesday, weighed by Middle East escalation as Iran refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz before US President Trump's deadline.
Crude oil prices rose, fueling stagflation fears and lifting bond yields, which pressured financial stocks.
Generali lost over 1%, while UniCredit fell 0.4% amid merger debates after Commerzbank said UniCredit did not offer sufficient shareholder value and was unwilling to provide an adequate premium.
Leonardo led losses, slumping 8%, after Italy signaled it would replace CEO Roberto Cingolani, a major change at the state-controlled company at a sensitive time as Leonardo competes for growing defence and aerospace business amid rising military spending tied to Ukraine and Middle East conflicts.
In addition, Italy's services PMI fell to 48.8 in March from 52.3, marking the first contraction after 16 months of expansion and falling short of expectations.