(Alliance News) - European financial markets are aiming for a bullish opening Wednesday, after comments from a Federal Reserve official -- who suggested the possibility of a "soft landing" for the U.S. economy -- helped in no small part to calm markets.

Michelle Bowman said Tuesday that "unemployment has remained low as we have tightened monetary policy and made progress in lowering inflation," in a prepared speech to an event in Florida.

The absence of "hawkish" comments in a speech by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell in Stockholm on Tuesday also offered oxygen to trading rooms, with few clues in terms of monetary policy, with the Eccles Building number one focusing instead on the importance of central bank independence.

Thus, the FTSE Mib, after ending down 0.1 percent at 25,364.61 last night, marks a 52.50-point rise.

Among other European exchanges, the FTSE 100 marks a rise of 31.70 points, Paris' CAC 40 is climbing 11.70 points, and Frankfurt's DAX 40 is up 46.00 points.

Among the smaller lists on Tuesday, the Mid-Cap lost 0.5 percent to 41,413.51, the Small-Cap was up 0.3 percent to 28,945.86, and Italy Growth finished 0.2 percent lower at 9,441.41.

On the main list in Piazza Affari last night, Moncler gave up 1.5 percent. UBS raised its target price to EUR63.00 from EUR57.00.

Enel - in the red by 1.1 percent - announced on Monday evening that it had successfully launched on the European market the issuance of non-convertible, subordinated hybrid perpetual bonds with a euro denomination, aimed at institutional investors, for a total amount of EUR1.75 billion.

The issue received oversubscribed applications more than eight times, totaling orders of about EUR15 billion.

Terna closed in the green by 0.3 percent after reporting that the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security has started the authorization process for the "Bolano-Annunziata," Terna's new electricity infrastructure that will connect Sicily with Calabria. For the construction of the work, which is strategic for the entire Italian electricity system, the company led by Stefano Donnarumma will invest EUR105 million.

FinecoBank - up 1.2 percent - reported Tuesday that net inflows hit an all-time high of EUR1.59 billion in December, up 13 percent from EUR1.4 billion in the same period a year ago.

For the whole of 2022, net inflows exceeded the EUR10 billion mark for the second year in a row, with the managed component at EUR3.6 billion and the administered at EUR5.6 billion.

On the Mid-Cap, Juventus FC gave up 3.3 percent, following its 1.4 percent loss on the eve.

Brunello Cucinelli closed down 0.8 percent. The company's board of directors on Monday reviewed preliminary consolidated net sales revenues for the year 2022 and net financial debt as of Dec. 31, 2022, reporting revenues for Italy of EUR102.6 million, up 22 percent from 2021, when they amounted to EUR84.2 million.

As for Europe, revenues amount to EUR263.8 million from EUR219.1 million. Net revenues for 2022 amounted to EUR919.4 million from EUR712.1 million in the previous year.

Sesa - down 1.5 percent - on Tuesday announced that it has signed an industrial partnership agreement, through its subsidiary Var Group, to acquire a majority stake in Amaeco, thereby consolidating its digitalization and sustainability expertise to support the digital evolution needs of Made in Italy.

Amaeco, based in Fiorano Modenese and employing about 15 human resources, operates in the development and design of energy monitoring systems and eco-sustainability performance through proprietary software solutions with a focus on the enterprise market and expected revenues in the year 2023 of about EUR1.5 million, with an Ebitda margin of about 20 percent and important growth prospects.

SOL, on the other hand, rose 4.2 percent to EUR19.20, standing as the best in the list. It is worth mentioning that on the stock Berenberg started hedging with fair value at EUR24.40.

On the Small-Cap, Cellularline - flat at EUR3.00 - announced Monday evening that the board of directors had appointed Marco Cagnetta, co-ceo of the Cellularline group, as interim investor relator for the company.

Piquadro - up 3.1 percent - on Tuesday reported consolidated sales figures for the first nine months ended December 31, 2022, which were EUR126.8 million and up 16 percent from the same period last year, when they were EUR109.4 million.

Among SMEs, Fenix Entertainment - up 0.7 percent - announced Tuesday that on January 9, 2023, an agreement was signed with U.S. company ClaRo Productions for a first major international film whose shooting will begin in Rome on March 1.

This is a co-production deal for the film "Here After," which will see Roberto Salerno make his directorial debut. The film will have a budget of about EUR8 million and will shoot for five weeks. Fenix's financial commitment is EUR2 million.

Comal, on the other hand, advanced 0.7 percent. The company announced that it has entered into a new contract with DCS, SPV of a major foreign energy investor, for the construction of a 150 MWp ground-mounted photovoltaic plant under an EPC-M formula.

The contract is worth EUR53 million and includes the supply of the Sunhunter tracker made by Comal. The plant will be built in Tuscania in the province of Viterbo. The project will start in April 2023 and will be completed by January 2024.

Omer - up 2.4 percent - on Tuesday reported that it has signed a contract with the Alstom group to supply various interiors components for the "Line B Réseau Express Régional" project in Paris.

Directa SIM--down 0.7 percent--reported that at the end of the year the number of open accounts exceeded 61,000 to 61,348, up more than 20 percent from a year ago and more than double the number as of Jan. 1, 2020, when there were a total of about 29,600. Of these, 7,849 - up 21 percent in three years - are now accounts opened at one of the more than 150 Banks that have an agreement with Directa to offer the SIM's online trading services.

In New York overnight Europe, the Dow closed up 0.6 percent, the S&P 500 rallied 0.7 percent, and the Nasdaq rallied 1.0 percent.

Among Asians, the Hang Seng is up 0.6 percent, the Shanghai Composite gave up 0.2 percent, while the Nikkei took home a plus 1.0 percent.

Among currencies, the euro changed hands at USD1.0747 versus USD1.0736 at Tuesday's close. In contrast, the pound is worth USD1.2166 from USD1.2145 last night.

Among commodities, Brent crude is worth USD79.42 a barrel from USD79.94 a barrel last night. Gold, meanwhile, trades at USD1,882.48 an ounce from USD1,880.30 an ounce last night.

On Wednesday's economic calendar in Europe, the morning begins at 0900 CET in Spain with data on industrial production.

An hour later, in Italy, retail sales data will be released while, at 1030 CET, data on loans granted on property collateral in the UK will arrive. At 1110 CET, an auction of Italian 12-month BOTs is expected.

As usual, at 1300 CET, the rate on 30-year MBA mortgages and mortgage applications will be released in the US. At 1630 CET, it will be the turn of crude oil stocks in the US.

Among the companies listed on the Stock Exchange, no particular announcements are expected.

By Maurizio Carta, Alliance News reporter

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