European markets rise on positive consumer confidence data

Milan bucks the general trend and drops 0.6% to 20,972 points

(ANSA) - Milan, March 21 - Many markets across Europe rose on Friday, excluding Milan's FTSE MIB index, as stocks cheered positive March consumer confidence data for the member nations sharing the single euro currency. Consumer confidence data for the euro zone released by the European Commission showed a marked improvement in March to -9.3 from a lower -12.7 in February. Italy's Ftse Mib index bucked the general trend, dropping 0.6% to 20,972 points. The yield spread between 10-year Italian bonds and the German benchmark equivalent, a barometer of Italy's borrowing costs in the eurozone, closed at 178 points with 10-year yields at 3.4%.

The Frankfurt Dax bourse gained 0.5% during the day's trading to 9,342 points, while the Paris Cac 40 Index advanced 0.2% to 4,335 points. Madrid's Ibex index fell 0.3% to 10,053 points. London's Ftse-100 stock market advanced 0.2% to 6,557 points.