(Alliance News) - European markets are trading with caution on Friday, as observers and operators meticulously monitor developments in the Middle East amid a "fragile truce" established between Iran, Israel, and the USA.
Donald Trump expressed optimism regarding a lasting peace, with Vance in Pakistan for negotiations on the energy crisis and war, while the Strait of Hormuz remains virtually closed, driving up oil prices.
On the domestic front, Italian industrial production showed a slight increase in February, following the previous month's decline, though it came in below market expectations.
On a monthly basis, industrial production grew by 0.1% after the 0.6% drop recorded in January, missing the 0.5% increase forecast cited by FXStreet.
Against this backdrop, the MIB is up 0.5% at 47,753.72, the Mid-Cap rose 1.1% to 57,213.45, the Small-Cap gained 0.8% to 34,039.72, and Italy Growth climbed 0.4% to 8,620.15 points.
The CAC 40 is up 0.5%, the DAX 40 is in the green by 0.4%, and the FTSE 100 has gained 0.4%.
In Piazza Affari, close attention is being paid to the new governance of blue chips. Banco BPM, up 0.7%, will wait until the last moment to decide on its vote for the renewal of the board of directors at Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, which is up 1.4%, on April 15. The bank, with its 3.7% stake, will choose between supporting the board's list nominating Fabrizio Palermo as CEO or abstaining.
BPM itself is preparing its own continuity list for the outgoing board, led by Massimo Tononi and Giuseppe Castagna, which appears to be the favorite with expected support around 40%.
The luxury sector continues its rally with Brunello Cucinelli leading the pack, up 5.2% at EUR83.83, and Moncler rising 2.1% to EUR55.28 per share. Buzzi also performed well, with gains of 3.4% at EUR48.04 per share.
Conversely, defense stocks slipped to the bottom of the basket, with Leonardo down 4.4% and Avio losing 3.8%.
Non-binding offers for Bioenerys, a Snam subsidiary (up 0.2%) specializing in biomethane and valued at approximately EUR500 million, are expected by early May. The transaction stems from Snam's regulatory requirement to divest production assets by June 2027. Verdalia, a Goldman Sachs vehicle, is in pole position and is expected to move in tandem with Ludoil, which is interested in the Forsu plants.
Stellantis production, up 1.6%, showed signs of recovery in Italy during the first quarter of 2026, marking a 9.5% increase with 120,366 total vehicles. According to the Fim-Cisl report, the automotive sector is soaring by 22%, driven by the hybrid 500 at Mirafiori (up 42%) and the Jeep Compass at Melfi, which nearly doubled its volumes with an increase of approximately 93%.
Italgas, with sales down 0.2%, concluded the launch of a fixed-rate bond issue maturing on April 16, 2032, for an amount of EUR750 million. The issuance saw orders exceeding 2.5 times the offer.
On the Mid-Cap, Reply - which gained 6.0% - launched a share buyback program starting April 13. The plan involves the purchase of up to 3.6 million ordinary shares, representing 9.6% of the share capital, for a maximum total value of EUR550 million. The stock rose 7.6% to EUR85.55 per share.
Anima Holding, up 0.4%, recorded negative net inflows in asset management of EUR5.63 billion in March, affected by a geopolitical context that reduced retail investment appetite and market declines impacting assets under management. CEO Saverio Perissinotto highlighted that these effects may prove temporary.
Banca Generali, meanwhile, announced that it closed March with net inflows of EUR725 million, more than doubling the EUR360 million from March 2025, marking a 101% year-on-year growth. The stock is trading flat at EUR53.10 per share.
Ariston Holding fell, shedding 2.6% to EUR3.94 per share, and d'Amico was in the red by 3.8% at EUR7.90.
Among small caps, OPS eCom, with potential gains of 26%, announced that its subsidiary Deva Srl received a binding offer from entrepreneur Massimiliano Morello for the acquisition of 100% of the shares in KCT Srl, a logistics and transport company. The offer involves a total consideration of EUR70,000.
Borgosesia - flat at EUR0.70 per share - reported that assets under management stood at EUR724 million in the first quarter of the year, a 4.5% increase from December 31. As of March 31, NPL turnover amounted to EUR4 million, while real estate sales reached EUR1.3 million.
Gas Plus - down 8.5% - closed 2025 with a net profit of EUR19.8 million, up 57% from EUR12.5 million in 2024. Adjusted net profit was EUR19.3 million, up from EUR10.1 million the previous year. The board proposed a dividend of EUR0.25 per share, up from the EUR0.20 distributed for the previous year.
Somec performed well, rising 2.2% to EUR14.05 per share.
On Italy Growth, the board of Growens - which contracted 7.3% to hit its low - approved Q1 2026 data, recording a profit in terms of operating performance linked to the growth of the CPaaS line and the resilience of the SaaS business, despite currency dynamics and the loss of a recurring revenue component from a large client.
CleanBnB, which saw no trades, announced that the board reviewed management data for Q1 2026. In the first three months of the year, CleanBnB continued its managed property portfolio activities, consolidated at 3,120 units across over 100 Italian locations.
Lemon Sistemi, down 6.8%, signed a contract with Alfa Graniti for the construction of two photovoltaic plants in the province of Ragusa, for a total value of approximately EUR1.5 million. Work is expected to begin during 2026, with completion by the end of 2026 for the first plant and by the first half of 2027 for the second.
In New York, during the European evening, the Dow Jones gained 0.6%, the Nasdaq advanced 0.8%, while the S&P 500 marked a 0.6% rise.
On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.1701 from USD1.1699 yesterday evening, while the pound is at USD1.3435 from USD1.3433 yesterday evening.
Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD96.66 per barrel from USD97.26 yesterday evening, while gold is valued at USD4,748.29 per ounce from USD4,792.00 yesterday evening.
On Friday's macroeconomic calendar, at 1430 CEST, the US will release the Consumer Price Index, followed by factory orders at 1600 CEST.
The day concludes at 1900 CEST with US rig count data released by Baker Hughes.
By Michele Cirulli, Alliance News reporter
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