(Alliance News) - Major European markets closed in positive territory, with the MIB following suit and pushing past the 48,800 mark, bolstered by a tangible improvement in macro and geopolitical sentiment that reactivated flows into equities.
The key driver was the repricing of energy risk after the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic triggered a rapid unwind of the risk premium embedded in commodities. Brent futures corrected by approximately 10%, pushing Brent below USD90 per barrel, reflecting expectations of normalized flows through one of the global supply chain's primary choke points.
From a cross-asset perspective, the drop in energy acted as a disinflationary shock, favoring an easing of interest rate expectations. Money markets are now pricing in two 25 bps hikes for the year, compared to the three previously baked in.
The MIB thus ended its advance up 1.8% at 48,869.43 points, the Mid-Cap gained 2.7% to 59,262.51, the Small-Cap recorded an increase of 1.9% to 35,554.30, and Italy Growth rose 0.2% to 8,762.73 points.
Other European markets were also positive, with the CAC advancing 2.0% and the DAX rising 2.3%, while the FTSE100 closed up 0.7%.
On the MIB, Stellantis saw a boost, closing 6.8% higher after a 1.2% loss in the previous session.
Brunello Cucinelli gained 4.3% following a 0.5% decline the day before.
FinecoBank climbed 3.9% to EUR22.43 after Thursday's 0.3% dip, which interrupted a seven-session winning streak. Notably, BofA upgraded the stock to "buy" from "neutral" and raised the price target to EUR25.70 from EUR22.50.
Selling pressure hit Eni, which shed 7.0%, dragged down by the sharp decline in crude oil prices after a 0.4% gain the previous day.
Its subsidiary Saipem followed the same trajectory, falling 5.4% and marking its third consecutive session with a bearish candle.
In the mid-cap segment, Technoprobe finished its run up 9.6% at EUR18.85 per share.
BFF Bank gained 9.5% following a flat session the day before, with the price around EUR2.07 per share.
OVS - bullish with a 6.5% gain - announced on Thursday that it closed the fiscal year ending January 31 with an adjusted net profit of EUR89.4 million, up 15% from EUR77.9 million the previous year. Furthermore, the board of directors resolved to propose a dividend of EUR0.14 per share to the shareholders' meeting, a 27% increase over the EUR0.11 paid in 2024.
Alerion fell 4.1% to EUR22.40 per share, marking its fourth bearish session.
On the Small-Cap index, Caltagirone Editore gained 8.1%, following a 2.6% rise on Thursday evening.
Solid buying was also seen in Aquafil, which rose 6.0% to EUR1.55 per share.
FNM - down 1.7% - announced on Thursday that its board of directors approved the purchase of 20 new trains for the Lombardy regional rail service as part of the modernization of rolling stock used by Trenord. The operation involves a total investment of approximately EUR170 million, funded through existing Framework Agreements with suppliers.
Gas Plus shed 2.1% to EUR6.06 per share, after a 0.7% gain the previous day had interrupted a four-session selling streak.
Among SMEs, Laboratorio Farmaceutico Erfo gained 2.9%, rebounding after two sessions in a downward trend.
CrowdFundMe pushed 6.0% higher to EUR1.06 per share. On the MarketScreener platform, based on a single analyst, the stock is listed with a target price of EUR1.40, suggesting an undervaluation margin of approximately 40%.
Eprcomunicazione shares climbed 3.2% to EUR1.29. Envent confirmed an "outperform" rating and a target price of EUR2.85, citing 2025 results that exceeded expectations and a strengthening strategic positioning. The group closed the year with revenues of EUR11.4 million, up 40% year-on-year and above estimates, while Ebitda reached EUR1.4 million, more than doubling from the previous year, with margins rising to 12%. Net profit returned to positive territory at EUR0.3 million, following a loss in 2024.
Laggards included Diadema Capital, which fell 8.8%, bringing the price to EUR1.55 per share.
In New York, the Dow Jones is advancing 2.0%, the Nasdaq 1.6%, while the S&P 500 is gaining 1.3%.
On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.1807 from USD1.1776 on Thursday evening, while the pound is at USD1.3559 from USD1.3531 yesterday evening.
Among commodities, as mentioned, Brent retraced to USD88.90 per barrel from USD98.30 yesterday evening, while gold is valued at USD4,872.35 per ounce from USD4,803.20 yesterday evening.
Monday's macroeconomic calendar features the PBoC interest rate decision at 0300 CEST, followed by German producer prices at 0800 CEST.
From the US, a 3-month and 6-month Treasury bill auction is scheduled for 1730 CEST.
On the corporate calendar, results are expected from OPS Italia, Risanamento, and Saccheria F.lli Franceschetti.
By Maurizio Carta, Alliance News reporter
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