European stocks close higher, Milan outperforms with FTSE Mib up 1.4%

European stock markets closed higher yesterday, supported by buying interest in industrial and financial stocks, in a session marked by a constructive macro backdrop and stronger risk appetite compared with US markets.  In Milan, the FTSE Mib ended the day up 1.39% at 44,116 points, reaching new yearly highs, while the FTSE Italia All Share gained 1.34%. Other major Eurozone markets also closed in positive territory: Paris rose 0.70%, Frankfurt added 0.18%, Madrid advanced 1.11% and Amsterdam gained 0.66%. Zurich closed up 1.12%, while London ended the session with a 1.06% increase. The Euro Stoxx 50 finished 0.47% higher, confirming a broadly positive technical trend. European equities outperformed Wall Street, where profit-taking prevailed: the Dow Jones slipped 0.09%, the S&P 500 fell 0.16% and the Nasdaq dropped 0.59%, while the VIX volatility index jumped 4.83%.