European markets set for lower open; London outperforms

(Alliance News) - Futures markets on Thursday point to a mixed performance following the de-escalation between the US and Iran, although tensions in Lebanon remain unresolved. President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of NATO, accusing the alliance of a significant lack of engagement regarding the Middle East conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Consequently, IG futures indicate the MIB will open down 0.4% or 185 points, the CAC 40 in Paris down 0.2% or 14.5 points, the DAX 40 in Frankfurt down 0.3% or 64.5 points, while the FTSE 100 in London is expected to rise 0.5% or 50.6 points.

On the previous day, the FTSE MIB closed up 3.7% at 47,091.55, the Mid-Cap rose 3.9% to 56,740.53, the Small-Cap increased 3.0% to 33,954.08, and Italy Growth climbed 1.5% to 8,531.81.

London's FTSE 100 closed 2.5% higher, the DAX gained 5.1%, and the Paris CAC rose 4.5%.

On the MIB, Prysmian ended Wednesday's session up 9.8% at EUR115.00 per share. Notably, William O'Neil reinstated its "buy" recommendation on the stock.

FinecoBank - up 6.5% - announced on Wednesday that it recorded net inflows of EUR1.95 billion in March, compared to EUR767.7 million in March 2025. Asset management inflows stood at EUR297.1 million, down from EUR393.8 million in the same period last year, while direct inflows were negative at EUR368.9 million, compared to minus EUR52.4 million in March 2025.

Banca Mediolanum - up 4.3% - reported first-quarter net inflows of EUR3.3 billion, with asset management inflows reaching EUR1.9 billion. For the month of March alone, commercial results totaled EUR1.74 billion, including EUR1.34 billion in net inflows, EUR920 million in net asset management inflows, EUR376 million in new managed loans, and EUR22 million in protection policy premiums.

Lottomatica Group - up 3.9% - announced on Wednesday that it purchased 238,986 ordinary shares between March 30 and April 2 at a weighted average price of EUR25.0587, for a total value of nearly EUR6.0 million. Following these transactions, the company holds 16.3 million shares, representing approximately 6.5% of its share capital.

On the Mid-Cap index, Danieli & C showed strength, gaining 8.9% to EUR64.50 per share after two bearish sessions.

Banca Ifis - up 4.0% - announced on Wednesday that Preve Costruzioni, linked to Riccardo Preve, purchased 31,005 shares of the company at an average price of EUR20.9332, for a total value of approximately EUR649,000.

Philogen fell 3.5% to EUR20.50 per share. Goldman Sachs cut its target price on the stock to EUR15.00 from the previous EUR25.00.

d'Amico slipped 1.5% to EUR8.08, hit by profit-taking after four consecutive bearish sessions.

On the Small-Cap index, The Italian Sea Group surged over 23% following two negative sessions, with over one million shares traded.

Aeroporto Guglielmo Marconi di Bologna - up 7.0% - announced on Tuesday that it handled 855,621 passengers in March, a 5.0% increase compared to the same month in 2025, marking the airport's best March on record.

I Grandi Viaggi gained 8.1%, following a 1.8% rise in the previous session, bringing the price to EUR2.40.

Caleffi, however, shed 3.2%, closing at EUR0.78.

Among SMEs, Estrima rose 5.5% after closing 5.7% lower on Tuesday.

Allcore closed up 2.4% following a 1.9% gain in the previous session, ending at EUR1.15. According to the MarketScreener platform, based on an average of two analysts, the stock has a mean target price of EUR2.66, suggesting it remains significantly undervalued.

The board of Poligrafici Printing - up 0.4% - approved its accounts on Wednesday, reporting a consolidated net profit of EUR913,000, up from EUR791,000 the previous year. The board proposed a dividend of EUR0.016 per share, compared to EUR0.0075 last year.

Among the decliners, which were in the clear minority, Monnalisa fell 4.5% to EUR0.81 per share.

In New York, the Dow Jones rose 2.9% to 47,909.92, the Nasdaq climbed 2.9% to 24,903.17, and the S&P 500 advanced 2.5% to 6,782.81.

In Asia, the Nikkei is down 0.6% at 55,955 points, the Hang Seng is trading 0.4% lower at 25,786.50, and the Shanghai Composite is down 0.7% at 3,967.11 points.

On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.1658 from USD1.1690 on Wednesday evening, while the pound is at USD1.3387 from USD1.3439 yesterday.

In commodities, Brent crude is trading at USD96.79 per barrel from USD94.94 yesterday evening, while gold is valued at USD4,719.21 per ounce from USD4,755.50 on Wednesday evening.

Thursday's macroeconomic calendar includes a 12-month BOT auction in Italy at 1100 CEST.

At 1430 CEST, the US will release initial jobless claims and the PCE index, followed by the publication of the Federal Reserve's balance sheet at 2230 CEST.

On the corporate side, results are expected from Brunello Cucinelli and Gas Plus.

By Michele Cirulli, Alliance News reporter

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