Italian share prices finished higher on Friday, with sector strength in Technology, Financials and Telecoms pushing the benchmark index to fresh highs.
At the close in Milan, the Investing.com Italy 40 climbed 1.90% and recorded a new all-time high.
The session's strongest performers on the Investing.com Italy 40 included Buzzi Unicem (BIT:BZU), which rose 5.67% - or 2.48 points - to close at 46.19. Mediobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario SpA (BIT:MDBI) gained 4.59% - or 1.13 points - finishing the day at 25.77, while STMicroelectronics (BIT:STMMI) advanced 4.52% - or 2.93 points - to 67.76 in late trading.
On the downside, Moncler SpA (BIT:MONC) was the biggest decliner named in trading, falling 3.75% - or 2.10 points - to end at 53.86. DiaSorin SpA (BIT:DIAS) dropped 2.92% - or 2.00 points - to close at 66.50, and Avio SpA (BIT:AVI) slipped 2.65% - or 1.02 points - to 37.41.
Market breadth at the Milan Stock Exchange favored advancers over decliners, with 490 stocks higher, 244 lower and 50 unchanged at the close.
Shares of Mediobanca reached an intraday milestone, moving to an all-time high as they climbed 4.59% to 25.77.
Commodities and currencies
Commodity markets posted mixed results. US crude oil for July delivery fell 3.42% - or $3.00 - to $84.71 a barrel. Brent crude for August delivery declined 3.61% - or $3.26 - to $87.12 a barrel. In contrast, the August gold futures contract rose 2.87% - or $118.05 - to trade at $4,232.05 an ounce.
In foreign-exchange moves cited alongside equity trading, the euro-dollar exchange rate was effectively unchanged, moving 0.06% to 1.16, while EUR/GBP was stable, changing 0.01% to 0.86. The US Dollar Index Futures edged lower by 0.08% to 99.77.
The shift in market leadership toward Technology, Financials and Telecoms underpinned the session's gains and helped lift the Italy 40 index to its new record close. Several individual stocks posted strong two-way action, with notable winners reaching multi-year highs and a set of laggards posting declines.