(Alliance News) - The MIB advanced on Tuesday, moving beyond the 50,100 level and outperforming major European benchmarks. The blue-chip index's ascent is primarily supported by the banking sector, which accounts for over a third of the index's market capitalization and continues to exert a decisive influence on its overall performance.

The strength of financial stocks - in addition to the well-known battle for Intesa between BPM and Intesa - reflects both investor positioning ahead of the ECB meeting and expectations that interest rates may remain at relatively high levels for some time, preserving the sector's profitability. In this context, the significant weight of banks within the MIB amplifies the sector's positive contribution, allowing the Italian market to stand out against other Eurozone benchmarks.

Market participants remain focused on the guidance emerging from the ECB, seeking signals regarding the future trajectory of monetary policy.

Consequently, the FTSE MIB rose 1.9% to 51,167.72, the Mid-Cap gained 1.1% to 62,475.68, the Small-Cap climbed 0.4% to 35,823.16, while Italy Growth retreated 0.1% to 9,153.83.

London's FTSE 100 fell 0.4%, Paris's CAC 40 advanced 0.8%, while Frankfurt's DAX 40 is posting a 0.5% gain.

On the MIB, Unipol performed well, advancing 5.7% to EUR23.06 per share after hitting a 52-week high of EUR23.19. The stock is benefiting from an agreement with Intesa to acquire - should Intesa's bid succeed - 635 branches and the historic MPS brand to merge them with BPER, in which Unipol holds a majority stake.

BPER rose 4.3%, while Intesa advanced 3.0%.

On the same matter, the Turin-based banking group confirmed its determination to proceed with the acquisition of Monte dei Paschi di Siena, a move that CEO Carlo Messina believes could represent a strategic turning point not only for the group but also for its positioning in future European banking consolidation.

In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg TV on Tuesday, Messina called Intesa's 'the only real offer for MPS' and assured that the group will remain in the race even if competing proposals emerge. 'We will stay in the race for MPS even if there are other offers', the banker stated.

Azimut Holding - up 2.9% - announced on Tuesday that it recorded net inflows of EUR1.5 billion in May, bringing the total for the first five months of 2026 to EUR7.6 billion, or 76% of its EUR10 billion annual target. The group's total assets rose to EUR155.7 billion, an increase of approximately 11% compared to the end of 2025.

Campari - in the green by 1.1% - announced a tender offer on Tuesday to holders of its EUR550.0 million 1.25% notes due October 6, 2027, inviting them to sell their holdings back to the company for cash. The company also announced its intention to issue new EUR500.0 million notes under its EUR2.00 billion Euro Medium Term Note program.

On the secondary segment, Tamburi saw a boost, rising 6.0% to trade around EUR9.16 per share.

Technoprobe advanced 3.0% to EUR31.72 per share. Deutsche Bank Research confirmed its 'buy' rating on the stock and raised its price target to EUR42 from EUR35, believing the company is still in the early stages of a multi-year growth cycle linked to artificial intelligence.

According to analyst George Brown, the stock has already gained over 60% following the May 2026 results, supported by strong demand for Nvidia's AI GPUs. However, the primary growth driver is seen not so much as the increase in chip volumes sold, but rather the growing complexity of testing required by next-generation semiconductors.

Cementir Holding - bullish with a 6.2% gain - announced on Tuesday that Aalborg Portland, a Cementir affiliate, signed an agreement with the Danish Energy Agency to receive a carbon capture subsidy of approximately EUR117 per captured ton, up to 1.25 million tons annually starting in 2030, when the CO2 capture plant is expected to be operational.

The subsidy, according to the note, amounts to up to approximately EUR146 million per year for 15 years, for a maximum cumulative total of approximately EUR2.2 billion, indexed to inflation.

Alerion Clean Power - in the red with a loss of over 11% - announced on Monday the final results of the capital increase approved on May 21, in which 63,607 of the 5.4 million new shares offered at EUR25.00 each were subscribed, for a total value of EUR1.6 million. Settlement of the transaction is scheduled for June 10.

On the Small-Cap index, Seri Industrial advanced 3.5%, rebounding after a four-session losing streak.

BasicNet - up 0.8% - announced on Monday that it repurchased 57,000 of its own ordinary shares between June 1 and June 5, for a total value of EUR410,000.

Trevi Finanziaria Industriale fell 2.8% to EUR3.28 per share. Alantra confirmed its 'buy' rating on the stock but reduced the price target to EUR4.50 per share from EUR10.00 following the setting of terms for the EUR100 million capital increase. The new target still implies a potential upside of 44% compared to current prices.

Analysts highlighted that the operation marks the transition from the planning phase to the execution phase of the recapitalization.

Centrale del Latte d'Italia is down 2.9%, bringing the price to EUR4.08 per share. The stock - which has a market capitalization of approximately EUR57 million - has shown a contraction of about 16% since the beginning of the year.

Among SMEs, Com.Tel. showed strength, pushing its price up by over 10%. Notably, high trading volume was recorded for the stock, with over 137,000 shares changing hands compared to a three-month daily average of approximately 62,000.

Industrie Chimiche Forestali - untraded - announced on Monday that it purchased 9,000 treasury shares at a weighted average price of EUR6.344 each, for a total value of approximately EUR57,000.

Mare Engineering Group - up 1.5% - announced its entry into the capital of the startup Nido Srl, active in autonomous unmanned systems and AI technologies, through an initial investment of EUR50,000 which will allow it to acquire a 20% stake.

Alfonsino - in the red by 3.4% - announced on Tuesday the launch of its table reservation service on a national scale and the signing of an agreement with Yo Agents Srl, an Italian commercial hub and sales community created to connect companies with a network of over 2,000 sales agents and ambassadors across the country.

In New York on Monday night, the Dow lost 0.2%, the Nasdaq advanced 0.9%, while the S&P 500 rose 0.3%.

On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.1559 from USD1.1544 on Monday evening, while the pound is trading at USD1.3387 from USD1.3342 yesterday evening.

Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD92.30 per barrel from USD94.65 per barrel on Monday evening, while gold is worth USD4,329.25 per ounce from USD4,331.55 per ounce at yesterday's close.

Tuesday's macroeconomic calendar includes, from the US at 1415 CEST, the publication of the ADP weekly employment change report, followed at 1430 CEST by trade balance data.

At 2230 CEST, also from the US, weekly oil inventory data will be available.

By Maurizio Carta, Alliance News reporter

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