The FTSE MIB climbed 0.1% to close at 50,263, supported by gains in heavyweight financial stocks as markets looked ahead to the European Central Bank’s policy decision later this week. The ECB is widely expected to deliver a 25-basis-point rate hike, while investors are focused on guidance for clues about the future path of monetary policy. Risk sentiment also improved as oil prices eased amid hopes for de-escalation in the Middle East. BPER (+2.9%), Mediobanca (+3%), MPS (+2.6%), and Unipol (+4.7%) led gains in the financial sector. Utilities and luxury stocks also advanced, with Enel up 1.4% and Ferrari adding 0.9%. In contrast, Eni fell 1.6% on lower oil prices, while STMicroelectronics lost 5.9% as investors took profits following the recent rally in global technology shares.