The European lists close in the red and Piazza Affari leaves the field 0,7%, 22.448 points, despite the stellar performance of Luxottica, +5,15%, after the green light from the EU and the US for the merger with Essilor. Sales are massive in Frankfurt -1,97%, London -0,78%, Paris -1,09% and Madrid -1,03%. Wall Street is struggling to find direction, while Jerome Powell speaks to Congress again. "Wages - he says - are going up, but they don't indicate an acceleration of inflation".
Words that comfort those who fear four increases in the cost of money in 2018. The number one of the Fed promises gradual adjustments, but does not answer on how many there will be during the year and again warns: the effects of Trump's tax reform could condition the choices . In the meantime, new applications for unemployment benefits are at their lowest since December 1969 and the manufacturing index accelerates beyond expectations in February. Two indicators of the health of the American economy.
Small shocks for the euro-dollar exchange rate. At the moment the single currency prevails, with the cross around 1,22. Oil accelerates in reverse on yesterday's disappointment on US inventories. Brent -1,22%; $63,94 a barrel. Gold fell to 1310,5 dollars an ounce (-0,58%).
However, the positive trail of Italian bonds does not stop a few days before the elections. The yield of the 10-year BTP drops to 1,94%, the spread with the Bund to 130.40 points, -0,46%. In Piazza Affari, among the best blue chips we find Ferragamo, +1,43%; Tenaris, +0,99%; Terna +0,88%.
Financials contrasted, among which Bper stands out +1,19%. Today the ECB announces that it will decide "on a case-by-case basis" whether to request the provision of additional capital from banks that have not passed the stress tests.
At the bottom of the Ftse Mib are Stm -3,85%; PIrelli -3,29%; Fiat -2,75%; Moncler -2,58%; Exor -2,17. Off the main Best Union Company list, +15,85% is experiencing a day of glory, the day after the announcement of the delisting.
