Mib slightly up, Leonardo and Nexi in the lead

(Alliance News) - The Italian stock market closed Thursday's session close to parity, marked by few macroeconomic data from the Eurozone but significant figures from the US.

Specifically, personal consumption expenditure price index inflation in the US was higher than expected in the first quarter, according to data released Thursday by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis.

The US PCE price index rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.7% on a quarterly basis in the first quarter, exceeding expectations of a 3.6% increase.

The same statistics agency reported that the US economy contracted at an annual rate of 0.5% in the first quarter of 2025, a sharper decline than the previously estimated 0.2% and the first quarterly contraction in three years.

The FTSE Mib closed Thursday up 0.1% at 39,351.32, the Mid-Cap rose 0.8% to 53,450.91, the Small-Cap gained 0.9% to 31,392.56, and the Italy Growth recorded an increase of 0.1% to 8,147.20.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 in London closed up 0.3%, the CAC 40 in Paris ended around par and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt gained 0.5%.

Leonardo closed up 4.3% at the end of trading, recording the sharpest rise on the index, due both to news of NATO's upcoming rearmament and an alleged upcoming acquisition in the cybersecurity sector.

Nexi followed with a 3.3% rise, with the legal problems of rival Worldline pushing up the Italian paytech company's shares.

Iveco Group is also at the top, with a 2.5% jump to EUR15.8150.

Italgas rose 2.2%. Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock to 'overweight' with a target price of EUR8.10, while Berenberg downgraded it to 'hold' from 'buy', but raised the target price to EUR7.00 from EUR6.30.

Banca Mediolanum, up 0.9%, is reportedly considering the sale of its historic 4.5% stake in Mediobanca, which is down 1.2% today, signaling its intention not to take sides in the battle for control of Piazzetta Cuccia. In addition, Mediobanca announced that its shareholder Aurelia has sold call options on a total of 50,000 ordinary shares of the bank.

Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, down 1.4%, announced that it had successfully completed a Tier 2 subordinated bond issue of EUR 500 million, maturing in October 2035 with an early redemption option in October 2030.

Moncler was down 2.0%, bucking the recent trend driven by the positive momentum that has pervaded the sector after Swiss company Holcim was rewarded following the spin-off of its North American operations. The cement giant's stock fell 1.9% to EUR45.64.

On the Mid-Cap index, Fincantieri jumped 8.9% to EUR15.65, pushing the stock to the top of its index after the company announced that it had secured a EUR700 million contract to renovate and reinforce the Italian Navy's fleet.

Cementir Holding was included in the "World's Most Sustainable Companies 2025" ranking, compiled by Time and Statista, which selects the 500 global companies with the best results in combining financial strength and sustainability, Il Messaggero reported on Thursday. The stock closed up 1.0%.

At the bottom of the basket, Ariston Holding recorded a 4.6% decline.

Among small caps, Tessellis performed well, up 1.3% to EUR0.1084 per share.

Trevi Finanziaria Industriale performed well, rising 8.3%, continuing the positive trend seen at the beginning of the year, which recorded an 18% increase on a half-yearly basis after the group won contracts and orders worth a total of over EUR 140 million in April and May, increasing its order book at the end of May to EUR 715 million.

The board of directors of Pininfarina, down 3.3%, approved a transaction involving the granting of a loan by Tech Mahindra London Limited, a company of the Tech Mahindra group, related to PF Holdings, the controlling shareholder of the company, for a total amount of EUR 6.0 million.

I Grandi Viaggi fell 5.9% after approving its first-half results, reporting revenues of EUR 16.3 million compared to EUR 13.5 million in the same period last year.

The half-year ended with a loss of EUR 5.0 million compared to a loss of EUR 4.0 million a year earlier.

Generalfinance closed flat after entering into a new loan agreement with Intesa Sanpaolo, in the technical form of a non-recourse credit transfer in accordance with IAS, for a maximum amount of EUR 20 million.

Among SMEs, Svas Biosana - up 1.3% to EUR7.90 - announced that it had signed a binding agreement to acquire 51% of the share capital of Mehos, a company specialising in the marketing of medical devices, with a focus on public healthcare facilities.

Mondo TV France led the gains, up 29%. The company announced on Thursday that Studio 4.21 has joined the team as co-producer of Wonder Pony, the new animated series currently in development with France Télévisions.

Mare Engineering Group, down 0.6%, exceeded the 15% threshold of share capital and voting rights in Eles, thanks in part to sales by leading institutional investors.

FAE Technology, flat at EUR 2.56, announced on Thursday the launch of the ReLife4PCBA project, aimed at developing an integrated system for the recovery, traceability, and regeneration of electronic boards.

In New York, the Dow is up 0.6% to 43,250.39, the Nasdaq is up 0.5% to 20,079.52, and the S&P 500 is up 0.6% to 6,126.51.

Among currencies, the euro is trading at USD 1.1714 from USD 1.1625 at Wednesday's close, while the pound is trading at USD 1.3746 compared to USD 1.3626 yesterday evening.

Among commodities, Brent crude traded at USD 68.51 per barrel, up from USD 67.68 at the previous close, while gold was worth USD 3,312.70 per ounce, down from USD 3,332.575 per ounce at the previous close.

The macroeconomic calendar, quiet for most of the week, lights up in the last session with Japanese inflation, due at 0130 CEST, followed by Chinese industrial earnings at 0330 CEST.

In Europe, French inflation will arrive at 0845 CEST, along with producer prices, while Spanish inflation and consumer and business confidence in Italy will arrive at 0900 CEST and 1000 CEST, respectively.

For Italy, industrial sales will also be released at 11:00 CEST, at the same time as Eurozone confidence data. An hour later, the focus will be on Italian producer prices.

In the afternoon, attention will turn to US core PCE prices at 2:30 p.m. CEST, ahead of Baker Hughes drilling rig data at 7:00 p.m. CEST, while the day will end with the results of the Federal Reserve's stress tests, due at 10:30 p.m. CEST.

Among companies listed on the Italian stock exchange, Giglio Group is expected to report its results.

By Giuseppe Fabio Ciccomascolo, Alliance News senior reporter

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