FTSE 100 Shines in Europe, Mib Down on Banking Sector Weakness

(Alliance News) – On Wednesday, major European markets closed trading on a weak note, with the sole exception of the FTSE 100, which showed some momentum with daily gains of 1.1%.

According to Istat, industrial production in Italy showed mixed performance. After several months of growth, the index recorded a decline compared to November, while on an annual basis the trend remains positive, mainly supported by the pharmaceutical and manufacturing sectors.

On a monthly basis, in December the industrial production index fell by 0.4% compared to November, a smaller drop than the 0.6% decline forecast by FXStreet.

The Mib closed down 0.6% at 46,510.83 points, the Mid-Cap lost 1.0% to 60,506.54, the Small-Cap dropped 1.5% to 36,453.08, and the Italy Growth fell 0.2% to 8,718.32 points.

Other markets also ended in the red: the CAC 40 down 0.2% and the DAX 40 down 0.4%.

Chris Beauchamp of IG noted that “Once again, the FTSE 100 proves to be the safe haven among equity markets, buoyed by rising commodity prices. However, with the overall breadth of the US market reaching a record high, the general outlook points to further upside in the medium term, even if the path seems likely to be somewhat more volatile,” the analyst emphasized.

In Milan, Fincantieri and Generative Bionics signed a four-year agreement to develop a humanoid welding robot for shipyards. The stock slipped 0.6%.

Libya has awarded several foreign companies new licenses for oil exploration and production for the first time in 17 years, following more than a decade of political instability. Eni's shares, which hit a 52-week high, closed up 1.8%.

Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, which announced the resignation of Stefano Di Stefano, a non-independent director and member of the risk and sustainability committee, recently investigated for insider trading, dropped 3.2% to EUR8.505 per share.

After a 25% plunge on Friday, February 6, and a modest rebound on Monday, Stellantis attempted to recover: the stock closed up 1.3% despite the drag from double downgrades by Moody's and S&P.

In the banking sector, Andrea Orcel, like Carlo Messina, is ready to stay at the helm. “It will be up to shareholders to decide whether I remain CEO, but I am very enthusiastic,” UniCredit's CEO—whose shares fell 2.6%—told Bloomberg TV, confirming his willingness for a new term beyond 2030.

Intesa Sanpaolo—down 2.6%—placed a dual-tranche perpetual Additional Tier 1 bond on the institutional market for a total of EUR1.25 billion. For the bank, this is the Additional Tier 1 issue with the lowest Reset Spread ever, as explained in a company statement.

Fineco closed the basket with losses of 9.1% to EUR20.11 per share, alongside Banca Mediolanum, down 9.6% to EUR17.77, while Italgas and Ferrari posted positive performances of 3.6% and 4.0% respectively.

On the Mid-Cap, Banco di Desio e della Brianza—down 2.9%—closed 2025 with a net profit of EUR127.3 million, a slight increase of 0.3% over the previous year. The board also proposed a dividend of EUR0.5105 per share.

Operating margin stood at EUR241.4 million, supported by growth in net fees and partially offset by a decline in net interest margin due to market rate dynamics.

Intesa Sanpaolo maintains a 'buy' recommendation on Banca Ifis with a target price of EUR25.50, unchanged from previous guidance. Banca Ifis closed the year with a profit of EUR328 million, with shares down 6.9%.

Banca Generali—down 7.6%—closed fiscal 2025 with consolidated net profit rising to EUR445.8 million from EUR431.2 million, up 3.4% year-on-year. The board will propose to the shareholders' meeting a dividend of EUR2.90 per share, totaling EUR338.9 million, corresponding to a 76% payout of consolidated profit.

Among small caps, Banca Profilo closed 2025 with consolidated net profit of EUR10.0 million, up 7.7% from EUR9.3 million in 2024. In the fourth quarter alone, net profit was EUR600,000. The stock finished down 1.4% at EUR0.171 per share.

Antares Vision—down 0.2%—approved the 2026 budget and updated its stand-alone industrial plan. The company expects 2025 revenues of around EUR204 million, adjusted Ebitda of about 16%, and a PFN/adjusted Ebitda ratio of approximately 2.4 times.

doValue fell 9.6% to EUR2.192 per share, while Bastogi topped the list with gains of 12% to EUR1.135 per share.

On the Italy Growth segment, TraWell Co—up 0.9%—renewed its concession to provide baggage wrapping services at Miami International Airport.

Tecno—with no trades recorded—signed, through its subsidiary Tecno ESG, an addendum amending both the share purchase agreement for Energika dated July 10, 2024, and the option contract concerning minority shareholders' stakes in Energika's share capital dated July 12, 2024.

Ubaldi Costruzioni—up 0.2%—announced to the market an update of its order book and commercial pipeline as of December 31, 2025, which stood at around EUR212.8 million. The order book includes 54 active contracts, mainly in Central Italy.

eVISO—up 0.5%—closed the first half of fiscal 2025-2026 with revenues of EUR155.8 million, down 8% from EUR169.7 million in the same period last year, affected by lower energy commodity prices.

EdiliziAcrobatica—up 0.2%—maintains a strong position in the sector despite a business slowdown reflecting the overall market trend. Intesa Sanpaolo has therefore set a target price of EUR7.8 with a 'buy' recommendation, confirming its October outlook.

In New York, the Dow is fractionally lower at 50,174.28, the Nasdaq is down 0.4% at 23,010.83, while the S&P 500 is fractionally higher at 6,942.15 points.

On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.1873 from USD1.1901 at Tuesday's European stock close, while the pound is at USD1.3648 from USD1.3665 last night.

Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD69.98 per barrel from USD68.94 per barrel last night, while gold is worth USD5,073.13 an ounce from USD5,019.53 an ounce on Tuesday evening.

On Thursday's calendar, at 0100 CET the Fed's Logan is scheduled to speak, while at 0800 CET UK GDP and industrial production data will be released. At 1000 CET, the IEA monthly report is due in the US.

At 1110 CET, the Italian 3- and 7-year BTP auction takes place. At 1200 CET, consumer index data for Italy, Germany, the UK, France, and Spain are expected.

At 1430 CET, US continuing jobless claims are due, and at 2230 CET, the Fed's balance sheet will be published.

Results are expected in Milan from AbitareIn, BasicNet, Cementir Holding, Elica, First Capital, Gefran, Iveco Group, and Svas Biosana.

By Michele Cirulli, Alliance News reporter

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