European Markets Positive as Trump Postpones Iran Strike

(Alliance News) - On Thursday, Europe's main indices are expected to move into positive territory, according to IG futures, after US President Donald Trump postponed a strike on Iran, citing an end to executions of protesters and thus easing geopolitical tensions.

The news pushed oil prices lower, with Brent crude down over 3% in the European pre-market session.

Meanwhile, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen described talks with the Trump administration as "frank but constructive," reiterating that any proposal undermining Danish sovereignty or Greenland's right to self-determination remains unacceptable.

Market sentiment remained fragile throughout yesterday's session, despite the absence of any clear catalyst to justify investors' more cautious approach.

Overall, the news flow was positive, with US November retail sales beating expectations and no Supreme Court decision on tariffs.

According to Michael Brown, Senior Research Strategist at Pepperstone, caution may be tied to increased policy uncertainty, with pressure from the Trump administration on the Fed, geopolitical risks in the Middle East, and trade tensions with China over Nvidia's H200 chips.

However, the analyst added, this remains an unconvincing explanation and insufficient to outline a lasting bearish scenario.

Today, updates are expected on Italian industrial production and the trade balance report, among others.

The FTSE Mib is indicated up 0.2% or 75.0 points after closing Wednesday up 0.3% at 45,647.40 points.

Across Europe, London's FTSE 100 is seen up 0.4% or 45.4 points, Paris' CAC 40 is expected to rise 0.4% or 34.0 points, and Frankfurt's DAX 40 is projected to gain 0.1% or 36.5 points.

In Milan last night, the Mid-Cap index gained 0.9% to 61,220.71, the Small-Cap rose 0.9% to 37,98199.28, and Italy Growth climbed 0.3% to 8,847.33.

On Piazza Affari, Intesa Sanpaolo – down 0.3% at EUR5.973 – announced that its IMI Corporate & Investment Banking division participated in a refinancing for Equitix, one of Europe's leading infrastructure investors.

Additionally, the bank and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti announced Wednesday they have signed a new EUR1 billion agreement to support access to credit and market expansion for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, while also fostering the real economy and local development in their operating areas.

UniCredit, down 0.1%, and the European Investment Fund, part of the EIB Group, have signed a new InvestEU guarantee agreement to significantly increase support for small and medium-sized enterprises across Central and Eastern Europe.

The agreement was announced at the FT CEE Forum in Vienna. The new EUR445 million guarantee expands and extends the unlimited InvestEU guarantee package launched in 2023, making it one of the EIF's largest InvestEU transactions.

Stellantis, up 1.1%, tried to rebound after losing 12% over the past month and 27% over the past year. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, news broke that, for the sixth consecutive year, Toyota remains the global leader in hybrid and electric vehicles, despite a climate of regulatory uncertainty affecting all automakers.

Eni, during a hearing in the Chamber of Deputies, outlined its investment strategy, distancing itself from Greenland and emphasizing its commitment to Norway, which granted 76 licenses in 2025 alone. The stock rose 1.8%.

Hera, up 2.3%, clarified it is negotiating the purchase of a significant perimeter of the Sostelia group.

TIM's business plan, topping the charts with a 4.7% gain, is expected in mid-March after board approval and will mark industrial integration with Poste Italiane, down 0.5%. After the conversion, Poste's stake will drop from 27.32% to around 19.6% of TIM's capital. Initial estimates point to potential synergies between EUR1 and EUR1.2 billion.

Prysmian saw solid buying, up 3.5%.

On the Mid-Cap, Webuild announced that, leading the Metro C Consortium with Vianini Lavori, it will build the new T1 section of Line C between Clodio/Mazzini and Farnesina, for a total value of EUR776 million, of which EUR268 million is attributable to Webuild. The stock closed up 2.0%.

Banca Ifis – up 5.2% – completed the placement of a Tier 2 subordinated bond aimed at institutional investors.

The issue has a ten-year maturity, due in April 2036, pays a 4.546% coupon, and is callable after 5 years. The amount issued is EUR400 million.

Iren – up 2.4% – announced that, through its subsidiary Iren Mercato, it has signed a Power Purchase Agreement with Alpiq for the supply of wind-generated electricity produced in Italy.

Ferretti fell 4.3% to EUR3.472 per share.

On the Small-Cap, the Italian government – according to a document seen by Reuters – has given the green light to Chinese private equity fund FountainVest to acquire a controlling stake in EuroGroup Laminations, up 3.5%, paving the way for the group's delisting from Piazza Affari by the first half of 2026.

Banca Sistema – up 2.6% – reported full compliance with consolidated capital requirements. From March 31, Banca Sistema must maintain a CET1 ratio of 10.10%, a Tier 1 of 11.60%, and a Total Capital Ratio of 13.60%.

OPS eCom signed a binding expression of interest with Paolo Cesareo, founder and owner of the Call Agent technology platform.

The agreement provides for the contribution in kind of the platform in exchange for the issuance of new company shares, for a total value of EUR2.2 million. The stock fell 0.9%.

Among SMEs, Haiki+ – up 4.9% – received approximately EUR2.8 million in grants from the Lombardy Region under the 'Ri.Circo.Lo. Step' call, for two innovative projects to recover indium and rare earths from LCD panels.

Franchetti – up 3.5% – announced the appointment of Ashley Langford as Country Manager for North America, with direct responsibility for commercial development and operational consolidation in Canada and the USA.

RedFish LongTerm Capital updated its stake in PureLabs Spa following the final outcome of a capital increase, initially set at EUR15 million and closed with subscriptions exceeding EUR21 million. The stock ended the session up 1.5%.

In New York on Wednesday, the Dow Jones lost 1.0%, as did the Nasdaq, while the S&P 500 slipped 0.5%.

In Asia, the Nikkei closed up 0.4%, the Shanghai Composite was down 0.3%, while the Hang Seng lost 0.2%.

On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.631 from USD1.1656 at Wednesday's close in Europe, while the pound is at USD1.3434 from USD1.3449 last night.

Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD64.19 per barrel from USD65.83 per barrel at Wednesday's European close, while gold is valued at USD4,608.82 per ounce from USD4,619.19 per ounce last night.

On Thursday's economic calendar, at 0845 CET, France's consumer price index is due, followed by Spain's at 0900 CET. Italian industrial production data is expected at 1000 CET, while the country's trade balance report will be released at 1200 CET.

At 1430 CET, focus shifts to US jobs data with unemployment claims.

No significant announcements are expected on Piazza Affari.

By Antonio Di Giorgio, Alliance News Reporter

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