EQUITY TECHS: E-MINI S&P: (Z5) Bull Cycle Extends

SFIM6 96.20/95.90ps 1x2, bought for 5 in 1.5k.

SX5E (19th June) 6150c, bought for 50.50 and 50.60 in 7k.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her governing coalition look set to have received a political boost, with incumbent President of the Marche Region Francesco Acquaroli on course to  win a second consecutive term, according to projections published after polling stations closed. Acquaroli, who hails from Meloni's national conservative Brothers of Italy (FdI), became the first directly elected regional president for Marche to hail from the centre-right coalition when he won in 2021. Projections from La Repubblica show Acquaroli's support coming in at 51%, while his challenger, Matteo Ricci from the centre-left Democratic Party, is projected to win 45.6% of the vote. 

• The (likely) win in Marche comes at an opportune time for the parties of the centre-right coalition (FdI, Deputy PM Matteo Salvini's right-wing populist Lega, and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani's centre-right Forza Italia). Regional elections take place in Calabria on October 5-6, in Tuscany on October 12-13, and in Veneto, Campania, and Puglia on November 24-25, and the Marche win could provide some momentum ahead of these contests. Calabria and Veneto are governed by Forza and Lega presidents respectively, while Tuscany, Campania, and Puglia are under the control of the centre-left coalition.
• The other regional election over the weekend, the regionalist Valdostan Union is on course to retain a plurality in Aosta Valley, Italy's smallest and least-populated region.