Milan (ANTARA/AKI) - Italy`s FTSE MIB leading-stock index rose 4.10 percent at the close of trading on Thursday to 15,277,19 points after finance minister Giulio Tremonti outlined fast-tracked austerity measures to achieve a balanced budget by 2013.

The index was down 0.4 percent in late morning trading, after rising as much as 3.9 percent. Shares in Italian banks including Intesa Sanpaolo were suspended because of the market volatility.

National benchmark indexes rose in every western European market except Denmark and Greece on Thursday The UK's FTSE 100 Index (UKX) increased 3.2 percent and Germany's DAX Index soared 3.3 percent. France's CAC 40 Index (CAC) climbed 2.9 percent.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index surging the most since May 2010, as investors speculated that recent losses have overestimated the slowdown in the pace of economic growth.

On Wesdesday, the Italian stock market posted its worst one-day loss since the Lehman Brothers crisis in October 2008 when the index plunged 6.65 percent amid fresh investor fears about the eurozone debt crisis that has caused extreme turbulence and heavy falls in financial markets over recent weeks.

Italian lenders are worried about the country`s ability to deliver on the promises to help boost growth and speed up its deficit reduction.
(T.A045/H-AK)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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