FTSE MIB Closes Sharply Lower
2026-07-08 16:20
By
Larissa Caser
1 min. read
The FTSE MIB tumbled 1.2% to 51,817 on Wednesday amid declining risk sentiment.
Unicredit slid 2.9% after raising its potential stake in Commerzbank to 47.6%, moving closer to gaining effective control of the German bank despite strong opposition from the German government, Commerzbank’s management and labor representatives.
Still, any attempt to exercise greater influence must await regulatory clearance of the tendered shares, while ECB approval to lift its direct stake above 30% could take up to six months.
The broader banking sector also retreated as energy prices surged with the exchange of strikes between Iran and the US, reigniting inflation concerns and raising the BTP-Bund spread by 4.2bps to 80bps.
Elsewhere, Stellantis plunged 5.8% after a sharp drop in China sales deepened concerns over the European auto sector, dragging Ferrari down 3.5%.
Defense stocks also declined, while energy shares ended mixed amid heightened geopolitical tensions.