The FTSE MIB rose 0.2% to 42,447 on Thursday as markets assessed the outlook of European rates and trade. European car sales jumped 5.9% in July, the best month in over a year, providing a lift to the struggling industry amid weak consumer confidence, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. Growth in eurozone bank lending hit a two-year high, with household loans up 2.4% and corporate credit rising 2.8% in July. On the corporate front, Ferrari (+0.9%), Stellantis (+0.6%), STMicroelectronics (+2.3%), Moncler (+2.6%), Prysmian (+2.7%), and BPER Banca (+1.3%) gained, while Unicredit (-0.1%), Generali (-0.4%) fell. Telecom Italia shares plunged 8.8% after Iliad dropped plans for a merger.