European stock markets moved in different directions on Tuesday, with US indexes also diverging on the day of the US midterm elections. Milan rose 0.1%, Paris was flat, while London fell 0.9%, Madrid lost 0.5% and Frankfurt declined 0.25%. In New York, the Dow Jones was down 0.6% and the Nasdaq gained 0.7%.
Investors were focused on the US vote, developments in the Middle East and quarterly results. Oil and gas prices fell: WTI crude was down 0.58% at $95.87 a barrel, while gas dropped 3.86% to €91.23 per megawatt-hour.
Government bond yields rose. The spread between Italian BTPs and German Bunds narrowed to 112.9 points, while Italy’s annual yield increased 2.9 points to 4.45%. Germany’s yield rose 3.3 points to 3.32%, and France’s climbed 4 points to 4.93%.
Gold gained 0.72% to $3,933.25 an ounce. The dollar strengthened, moving below 1.12 against the euro, while the pound rose above $1.34.
Quarterly results coincided with gains for Ferrari, up 3.05%, Lottomatica, up 2.33%, Intesa Sanpaolo, up 0.86%, Bayer, up 4.95%, Philips, up 5.43%, and Lufthansa, up 4.79%. Pfizer rose 1.45%. British American Tobacco fell 1.7%, Coca-Cola lost 2.89% and Hugo Boss declined 0.9%.
Sources: ANSA Economia.