Stock Markets February 26, 2026

Italian Stocks Close Higher as Italy 40 Hits Record High

Broad gains led by travel, energy and chemical names lift Milan as oil prices climb and the dollar edges up

By Hana Yamamoto
Italian Stocks Close Higher as Italy 40 Hits Record High

Italian equities finished higher on Thursday, with the Investing.com Italy 40 index closing at a fresh all-time high after strength in Travel & Leisure, Oil & Gas and Chemicals. Market breadth favored advancers, while select large-cap names led gains and a handful of stocks posted notable declines. Oil prices rose and the dollar strengthened modestly.

Key Points

  • The Investing.com Italy 40 closed up 0.59%, reaching a new all-time high, led by gains in Travel & Leisure, Oil & Gas and Chemicals sectors.
  • Top individual gainers included Nexi SpA (BIT:NEXII) +4.43%, Stellantis NV (BIT:STLAM) +4.24% and Amplifon (BIT:AMPF) +3.36%; notable decliners included Telecom Italia (BIT:TLIT) -4.33%, Buzzi Unicem (BIT:BZU) -2.03% and DiaSorin SpA (BIT:DIAS) -1.72%.
  • Energy prices rose—WTI April crude +1.74% to $66.56/barrel and Brent May +2.02% to $72.12/barrel—while gold futures eased and the US Dollar Index Futures was modestly higher.

Italian stocks ended the trading day in positive territory on Thursday, driven by advances in the Travel & Leisure, Oil & Gas and Chemicals sectors. At the close in Milan, the Investing.com Italy 40 rose 0.59% and recorded a new all-time high.

The session's top performers on the Investing.com Italy 40 included Nexi SpA (BIT:NEXII), which climbed 4.43% - a gain of 0.15 points - to finish at 3.42. Stellantis NV (BIT:STLAM) added 4.24%, or 0.28 points, ending the day at 6.78. Amplifon (BIT:AMPF) also outperformed, rising 3.36% - 0.44 points - to close at 13.40 in late trade.

On the downside, Telecom Italia (BIT:TLIT) experienced the heaviest loss among major names, falling 4.33% - 0.03 points - to close at 0.63. Buzzi Unicem (BIT:BZU) slipped 2.03%, down 1.00 point to finish at 48.24, while DiaSorin SpA (BIT:DIAS) declined 1.72% - a decrease of 1.22 points - to end the session at 69.82.

Market breadth in Milan was tilted toward rising stocks, with 397 issues advancing versus 311 declining; 49 stocks finished unchanged.


Commodities and currency moves

Energy markets moved higher during the session. Crude oil for April delivery increased 1.74%, or $1.14, to trade at $66.56 a barrel. Brent oil for May delivery rose 2.02%, or $1.43, to $72.12 a barrel.

Precious metals were softer: the April Gold Futures contract fell 0.45%, or $23.34, settling at $5,202.86 a troy ounce.

In currency markets, EUR/USD was unchanged at 1.18, with a noted change of 0.19%. EUR/GBP was unchanged at 0.87, with a reported change of 0.29%. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.16% at 97.78.


Overall, Thursday's session saw selective sector leadership lift the benchmark to a new peak amid stronger oil prices and a slightly firmer dollar. While several large-cap names posted robust gains, some individual stocks moved sharply lower, underlining persistent intraday dispersion across the market.

Risks

  • Concentration of gains: despite the index reaching a record, several large-cap stocks fell sharply (for example Telecom Italia), indicating potential idiosyncratic downside in specific sectors such as telecommunications.
  • Commodity price volatility: oil posted material intraday gains, which can affect Oil & Gas sector profit margins, input costs for other industries, and broader market sentiment.
  • Market breadth: although advancers outnumbered decliners (397 to 311), a substantial number of stocks declined or were unchanged (49), highlighting uneven participation that could increase short-term volatility across sectors like Chemicals and Travel & Leisure.

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