(Alliance News) – On Thursday, major European stock indices are expected to open in positive territory, during a quiet morning on the macroeconomic front as investors await Eurozone inflation data.

According to IG futures, the FTSE Mib is set to rise by 0.9%, or up 365.0 points, after closing down 0.4% at 39,762.52 points the previous session.

Paris's CAC 40 is projected to open up 0.7%, or 56.4 points higher; Frankfurt's DAX 40 is expected to gain 0.8%, or 191.4 points; and London's FTSE 100 is seen rising 0.4%, or 37.7 points.

On the macroeconomic front, U.S. economic activity has improved since May, but outlooks remain uncertain with rising prices due to the impact of tariffs, according to the Federal Reserve's Beige Book.

Five districts reported slight or modest growth, five noted stable activity, and the remaining two saw a modest decline. This marks an improvement from the previous report, in which half of the districts had reported at least a slight decline in activity.

However, the report noted that uncertainty remains high, contributing to business caution. Indeed, the outlook was described as "neutral or slightly pessimistic," with only two districts expecting an increase in activity, while the others forecast stable or slightly weaker conditions.

Among Milan's other indices on Wednesday, the Mid-Cap fell 0.2% to 54,856.20, the Small-Cap slipped 0.4% to 31,723.27, and the Italy Growth dropped 0.1% to 8,275.53 points.

On the Mib, Ferrari closed up 2.1% at EUR428.50 per share, building on a 0.1% gain in the previous session.

Telecom Italia rose 1.5%, bouncing back after four consecutive losing sessions.

Intesa Sanpaolo – up 0.2% – announced Wednesday that its Insurance division has expanded its life segment offering with the launch of "Patrimonio Garanzia," a new whole life policy with guaranteed invested capital, available to clients up to 90 years old.

Eni – up 0.1% – announced Wednesday the signing of a long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply agreement with Venture Global. According to the company, Eni will purchase 2 million tonnes per year for 20 years from Phase 1 of the CP2 LNG liquefaction project, with deliveries beginning at the end of the decade.

Stellantis – down 6.2% – announced Wednesday it will halt its hydrogen fuel cell technology development program due to a lack of sector prospects. The automaker said it does not expect adoption of hydrogen-powered light commercial vehicles before the end of the decade.

This is due to the limited availability of hydrogen refueling infrastructure, high capital requirements, and the need for "greater purchase incentives from consumers," Stellantis added.

On the Mid-Cap index, Newprinces surged 4.7% to EUR20.00. Notably, the stock set a new 52-week high during trading at EUR20.10 per share.

Lottomatica closed up 2.3% at EUR24.68. Jefferies raised its price target on the stock to EUR32.00 from the previous EUR23.00.

Webuild – down 1.8% – announced Wednesday a new contract for Lane, the group's U.S. subsidiary, which secured a USD337 million (EUR288 million) contract for the design and construction of expansion and modernization works along Interstate 85 (I-85) in Gaston County, North Carolina.

Italmobiliare – down 0.2% – reported Tuesday evening that between July 8 and 14, a total of 17,790 own shares were purchased, for a total value of approximately EUR491,000.

On the Small-Cap index, Seco rose 2.5% after falling 1.8% the previous day.

Softlab advanced 2.5%, bringing its price to EUR1.23 per share.

Fiera Milano closed up 3.3% at EUR5.95. During the session, the stock hit a new 52-week high at EUR6.05.

Piquadro – flat at EUR2.42 – announced Wednesday that consolidated revenues for the first three months of the 2025-2026 financial year, ended June 30, 2025, amounted to EUR36.8 million, up 2.0% from the same period last year, which closed at EUR36.1 million.

Among SMEs, ESI gained 8.8%, following a 2.6% rise the previous day.

First Capital – up 2.8% – announced Wednesday that subsidiary First SICAF has signed a binding agreement to sell 255,000 shares of ALA. The shares – representing 2.8% of ALA's capital – will be transferred to Wing HoldCo, an investment vehicle of the HIG Europe Middle Market LBO Fund II, for EUR35.75 per share, totaling EUR9.1 million.

Alfonsino – down 0.7% – announced Wednesday the activation of the "Order Now" feature via Google Action Center. This platform allows users to perform quick actions directly from search results.

According to Alfonsino, thanks to this integration, users can now find restaurants and partners affiliated with Alfonsino directly on Google and order online quickly and easily.

Circle – down 0.9% – reported Wednesday that Magellan Circle has announced a new EUR119,500 contract with SVEM, the Marche regional agency, to organize a series of institutional events in Brussels to promote the "Green and Digital Corridor" project and strengthen the Marche Region's positioning with EU institutions.

In New York overnight, the Dow closed up 0.5% at 44,254.78, the Nasdaq gained 0.3% at 20,730.49, and the S&P 500 rose 0.3% to 6,263.70.

Among Asian markets, the Hang Seng is up 0.1%, the Shanghai Composite is rising 0.3%, and the Nikkei is gaining 0.4%.

In currency markets, the euro is trading at USD1.1606 from USD1.1690 at Wednesday's close, while the pound is trading at USD1.3390 from USD1.3458 on Wednesday evening.

In commodities, Brent crude is trading at USD68.61 from USD67.93 per barrel at the previous close, while gold is at USD3,338.80 from USD3,360.11 per ounce on Wednesday evening.

As for Thursday's economic calendar, Eurozone inflation data will be released at 1100 CEST.

At 1430 CEST, U.S. retail sales data will be released. Later in the afternoon, members of the Federal Reserve will be speaking.

On the corporate calendar, results are expected from Directa SIM, Dotstay, Sesa, and Zucchi.

By Claudia Cavaliere, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to redazione@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2025 Alliance News IS Italian Service Ltd. All rights reserved.