Overview
- European stocks fell as Brent crude climbed to about $106 a barrel following renewed Middle East tension that unsettled traders.
- The OECD released an interim outlook warning that a prolonged conflict would slow global growth and lift inflation, and it cut Italy’s 2026 growth forecast to 0.4%.
- Italian borrowing costs rose, with 10-year government yields near 3.94% and the gap over German Bunds widening to about 92 basis points.
- Turkish media reported the Istanbul-owned tanker Altura was struck near the Bosporus after departing Novorossiysk, a developing claim that heightened worries about energy supply routes.
- Istat said Italian consumer confidence fell to 92.6 in March, signaling households feel the pinch from higher energy costs and uncertain prospects.