(Alliance News) - On Friday, prospects for an agreement to extend the truce between the US and Iran provided a breather for markets following the previous session's concerns.
On the domestic front, according to data published Friday by Istat, Italian first-quarter GDP was revised upwards from the preliminary estimate released in late April, showing growth of 0.3% quarter-on-quarter and 0.8% year-on-year, compared to the previously estimated 0.2% and 0.7%. The carry-over growth for 2026 stands at 0.6%.
In his final remarks of the 2025 Annual Report, the Governor of the Bank of Italy, Fabio Panetta, outlined a global economic outlook that has shown greater resilience than expected but is entering a phase of increasing fragility due to geopolitical tensions, trade fragmentation, and the return of inflationary risks.
Concurrently, the Governor spoke of a Europe that must accelerate integration and investment to avoid losing ground in global competition. Italy is called upon to bridge structural gaps in productivity, innovation, human capital, and energy. Above all, artificial intelligence represents both the greatest economic opportunity and one of the primary challenges for the future.
In this context, the MIB closed up 0.4% at 50,036.75, the Mid-Cap rose 0.2% to 62,235.53, the Small-Cap gained 0.8% to 35,842.39, and Italy Growth climbed 0.7% to 9,100.44 points.
The CAC 40 shed 0.1%, the DAX 40 gained 0.1%, and the FTSE 100 closed down 0.2%.
On the MIB, UniCredit, up 1.8% at the close, announced the launch of a new actively managed open-end thematic certificate utilizing Bitcoin and Ethereum, intended exclusively for professional clients in Italy and Germany.
For Stellantis, which saw a daily decline of 1.9%, partnerships with Tata Motors and Jaguar Land Rover are not intended for expansion into the European market. This was reported to Reuters by the group's European head, Emanuele Cappellano.
'We did not plan to develop these joint ventures for the US and India with Europe in mind. If there were any advantage, such as a product opportunity, we might consider it, but at the moment it is not our main priority', Cappellano stated.
Fincantieri - with shares down 1.8% at EUR11.835 - announced Friday that VARD, the group's Norwegian subsidiary and one of the world's leading builders of specialized vessels, has signed a new contract with the US research organization Inkfish for the design and construction of an innovative deep-sea research vessel. The order value amounts to approximately EUR700 million.
Eni, through Eni Industrial Evolution, and Seri Industrial Spa announced Friday that they have reached an agreement for the joint development of an integrated industrial supply chain in the lithium iron phosphate battery sector. Eni's stock shed 0.5% to EUR22.53 per share.
Regarding M&A speculation, preliminary contacts between MPS - the most traded stock by value, up 1.2% - and Banco BPM - up 0.6% - reportedly began in the weeks following the Siena shareholders' meeting.
According to reports, any developments remain tied to the technical timing of the operation and the role of Credit Agricole, the largest shareholder of Banco BPM with 22.9%. Hypotheses under study include the sale of branches in areas where the two groups overlap, while the data room for Banca del Mezzogiorno is expected to open by the end of May.
Nexi took the lead with a 2.0% gain to EUR3.51 per share, while Amplifon struggled, falling 2.1%.
On the Mid-Cap, OVS - flat at EUR5.60 - announced that the shareholders' meeting approved the 2025 financial statements and the distribution of a dividend of EUR0.14 per share, with the ex-dividend date on June 22 and payment on June 24. Furthermore, a EUR20.0 million buyback was launched.
BFF Bank, which gained 5.4%, topped the list at 8.5% to EUR2.898 per share, while d'Amico was among the worst performers with a 4.5% decline to EUR7.005 per share.
Of note, El.En rose 5.1% to EUR19.95, hitting its 52-week high during the session.
Among small caps, Mondo TV approved on Friday the consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2025, reporting a loss of EUR4.0 million, narrowed from the EUR23.9 million loss recorded on December 31, 2024. Revenue from sales and services amounted to EUR1.7 million, down from EUR4.4 million the previous year. The stock surged by double digits, gaining 27%.
Landi Renzo - down 2.7% - announced that the board approved two strategic operations as part of the group's reorganization: the merger by incorporation of the subsidiary Metatron and the partial demerger of the 'Green Transportation' business into a new wholly-owned company.
Trevi Finanziaria Industriale, which fell 1.6%, signed a medium-to-long-term bank loan agreement for EUR180 million with a pool of leading financial institutions, as part of the financial maneuver approved by the board of directors on March 29.
Among SMEs, Ambromobiliare - up 0.9% at the end of the session - announced the publication of the document relating to the mandatory total exchange offer for 4AIM Sicaf, following the announcement released on April 24. The operation concerns 34,336 shares of 4AIM, equal to approximately 45% of the share capital not yet held by the offeror, including 31,026 shares of Compartment 1 and 3,310 shares of Compartment 2.
The shareholders' meeting of Diadema Capital, which gained 4.9%, approved the withdrawal of ordinary shares from trading on Euronext Growth Milan. The company believes that, once at least five trading days have passed since the Borsa Italiana notice, the delisting could become effective from June 10.
Power Conversion Holding, a subsidiary of Strategic Power Holding, announced a voluntary total tender offer for Braga Moro aimed at delisting from Euronext Growth Milan. The offer concerns up to 1.04 million ordinary shares, equal to approximately 49.8% of the fully diluted capital, for a maximum outlay of EUR7.2 million. Braga Moro's stock soared 85%.
iVision Tech, up 12% at the end of the day, announced progress in the internationalization of the iSee project, assistive glasses for the blind and visually impaired, with the acceptance of the patent application in the US.
Metriks AI, which gained 4.0%, announced Friday an investment of EUR150,000 in EdiBeez, the publishing company of the BeBeez and BeBeez International platforms, with the aim of developing new AI-based solutions for the private capital information sector.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones gained 0.8%, while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 rose 0.3%.
On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.1684 from USD1.1653 yesterday evening, while the pound trades at USD1.3484 from USD1.3438 on Thursday evening.
Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD90.74 per barrel from USD94.51 on Thursday evening, while gold is worth USD4,578.32 per ounce from USD4,478.41 at yesterday evening's close.
On Monday's economic calendar, the China manufacturing index is expected at 0345 CEST and German retail sales at 0800 CEST.
The Italian manufacturing index is due at 0945 CEST and Spanish registration data at 1300 CEST. The US manufacturing PMI is scheduled for 1600 CEST.
No major corporate announcements are expected.
By Michele Cirulli, Alliance News reporter
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