(Alliance News) - The Mib, mirroring other European stock exchanges with only Frankfurt posting a slight loss, is exhibiting an upward trend on Thursday as investors proceed with caution ahead of several crucial events scheduled in the coming hours.

All eyes are on the European Central Bank meeting, where no changes to interest rates are expected. However, market participants will closely watch for any hints regarding future monetary policy moves and updates to the ECB's macroeconomic forecasts.

Meanwhile, in the US, the release of consumer price index data will offer further insight into the impact of trade tensions on inflation trends. Nonetheless, analysts believe the anticipated figures are unlikely to significantly alter expectations of a rate cut by the Federal Reserve at its meeting next week.

The Mib is currently up 0.4% at 42,224.05 points, with put/call volumes showing a ratio of 1.85.

Among the secondary indices, the Mid-Cap rises 0.7% to 56,121.01, the Small-Cap climbs 1.1% to 35,251.89, while Italy Growth is fractionally down at 8,492.38.

In Europe, Paris's CAC 40 gains 0.6%, Frankfurt's DAX 40 is marginally in the red, while London's FTSE 100 advances 0.4%.

On the Mib, among the minority of decliners is Nexi, down 0.7%, marking its third consecutive bearish session.

Buzzi is up 8.1% at EUR49.52 per share. Notably, JP Morgan has raised its target price to EUR54.00 from EUR45.00 per share.

Tenaris is also strong, rising 2.3% to EUR15.46 per share, following a 0.1% dip in the previous session.

Eni--up 0.6%--announced Thursday that GreenIT, a joint venture between subsidiary Plenitude and CDP Equity, has secured approximately EUR370 million in project finance to develop greenfield onshore projects in Italy. The agreement, compliant with Green Loan Principles, features a flexible, long-term structure and will enable operational startup of the plants by 2028.

Subsidiary Saipem--up 1.4%--announced Wednesday it has secured a new offshore contract from Turkish Petroleum OTC for the third phase of the Sakarya gas field development project in Turkey. The contract is valued at approximately USD1.50 billion.

On the Mid-Cap segment, Sesa--leading with a 6.3% gain--announced Thursday that its board has approved the financial report for the first quarter ending July 31, confirming a return to organic growth and full alignment with the 2026-27 industrial plan guidance. Adjusted net profit stood at EUR29.8 million, up 6.4% year-on-year, while group adjusted net profit reached EUR27.9 million, a 4.5% increase.

De Longhi rises 3.8% to EUR30.42 per share, after a 1.1% loss in the previous session.

MAIRE advances 4.3%, on track for its fourth consecutive bullish session if gains hold through close.

El.En--down 6.6%--reported Wednesday group net profit of EUR17.9 million for the first half, down 34% from EUR27.3 million in the first half of 2024. Consolidated revenues stabilized at EUR285.3 million, compared to EUR271.5 million in the same period last year, a 5.1% increase.

Avio is down 5.0%, following a 2.7% loss on Wednesday evening.

On the Small-Cap, Esprinet is up more than 12% before entering a volatility auction. The company reported Wednesday it closed the first half with net profit of EUR3.4 million, slightly up from EUR3.3 million in the same period of 2024. In the second quarter, profit rose to EUR2.9 million from EUR54,000 in Q2 2024.

Centrale del Latte d'Italia climbs 3.9% to EUR3.74, after two bearish sessions. The stock, with a single analyst's rating on the MarketScreener platform, has a target price of EUR5.70, indicating an over 58% undervaluation gap.

Cellularline--down 3.8%--reported a net loss of EUR1.34 million in the first half, compared to EUR1.29 million in the same period of 2024. Adjusted net profit was positive at EUR1.29 million, essentially stable versus EUR1.26 million last year. Revenues came in at EUR70.5 million, slightly down from EUR72.6 million in the first half of 2024.

Dexelance is down 6.0% at EUR6.26. During trading, the stock hit a new 52-week low at EUR6.20 per share.

Among SMEs, Impianti is up 9.6% at EUR0.99 per share before entering a volatility auction, with the price hovering around EUR1.06 per share.

AATech--flat at EUR1.00--announced Wednesday it has completed the acquisition of Business Innovation Lab Spa, first announced in March. BIL is among Italy's leading providers of lending-as-a-service, buy-now-pay-later, and credit AI services, and owns the Opyn platform. With the deal, AATech also brings 100% of ART, Mo.Net, and 25% of Azimut Capital Tech into the group. The acquisition, the company explains, paves the way for the creation of a center of excellence in digital and AI-driven financial services, strengthening its market position in SME credit.

High Quality Food is up 2.5% at EUR0.57 per share, after two bearish sessions.

Adventure is down 4.2% at EUR15.00 per share, after a 0.6% gain in the previous session.

In New York, during the European evening, the Dow slipped 0.5%, the Nasdaq closed just above flat, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.3%.

In Asia, the Nikkei rose 1.2%, the Shanghai Composite finished up 1.7%, while the Hang Seng closed down 0.4%.

On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.1684, down from USD1.1722 at Wednesday's stock market close, while the pound is at USD1.3519, compared to USD1.3532 last night.

Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD67.23 per barrel, up from USD67.11 at Wednesday evening's close, while gold is valued at USD3,620.00 an ounce, down from USD3,648.40 at yesterday's European market close.

On Thursday's economic calendar, the OPEC monthly report is due at 1300 CEST. At 1415 CEST, the ECB's interest rate decision will be announced.

From 1430 CEST, US consumer price and unemployment data will be released, while ECB President Lagarde's press conference is scheduled for 1445 CEST.

By Maurizio Carta, Alliance News Reporter

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