(Alliance News) - On Thursday, midway through the trading session, markets are advancing, buoyed by sentiment that has further strengthened thanks to positive signs on the UK-US trade front: according to rumors, the UK could be the first country to sign an agreement after the introduction of new US tariffs, fueling expectations of an easing of protectionist tensions.
As a result, the FTSE Mib is up 1.1% at 38,738.49, the Mid-Cap is up 0.2% at 52,003.91, the Small-Cap is up 0.7% at 29,977.92, while the Italy Growth is up 0.3% at 7,762.25.
The FTSE 100 in London is up 0.3%, the CAC 40 in Paris is up 1.0%, and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt is up 1.2%.
On the Mib, Prysmian rose 5.0% to EUR53.08 per share. On Thursday, the company announced that it had closed the first quarter of the year with a group net profit of EUR 150 million, up from EUR 185 million as of March 31, 2024. In the first three months, revenues stood at EUR 4.77 billion, up from EUR 3.69 billion in the same period last year.
STMicrolectronics also performed well, rising 3.5% to EUR20.85 per share, following a 0.6% gain the previous day.
Poste Italiane - up 0.3% - announced on Thursday that it closed the first quarter with a net profit of EUR 597 million, up 19% compared to EUR 501 million in the same period of 2024. Revenues rose to EUR 3.20 billion from EUR 3.05 billion, an increase of 5.0%. Adjusted EBIT stood at EUR 796 million, up 13% compared to EUR 706 million in the first quarter of the previous year.
A2A fell 1.9% to EUR7.60 per share, subject to profit taking after three bullish sessions.
Enel, on the other hand, is down 1.9% after Wednesday evening's 0.6% gain.
On the Mid-Cap, Ariston Holding rose 6.9%. On Wednesday, it announced that it had closed the first quarter with net revenues of EUR 648.2 million, up from EUR 634.7 million as of March 31, 2024. In the three months, adjusted EBITDA amounted to EUR 64.1 million from EUR 55.8 million in 2024, while adjusted EBIT was EUR 35.1 million from EUR 27.8 million in the same period last year.
d'Amico advanced 3.4%, following the modest 0.2% gain on the previous day.
Ascopiave fell 3.1% to EUR2.94 per share, following the previous day's 1.6% decline.
Iren fell 2.6%, subject to profit taking after five sessions with bullish candles.
On the Small-Cap market, Seco rose 8.7%. The company announced on Thursday that it had closed the first quarter with a net loss attributable to the group of EUR 2.0 million, compared with a profit of EUR 93,000 in the same period of 2024. The company reported that adjusted net profit - excluding non-recurring items or items not related to the group's operating performance - fell to EUR 2.3 million from EUR 2.4 million.
Revenues remained stable at EUR 47.2 million, broadly in line with the previous year. The Edge computing business generated revenues of EUR 41.2 million, up 3.0% compared to the first quarter of 2024, while Clea contributed EUR 5.9 million, equal to 13% of the total, down from EUR 7.3 million in the previous year.
Safilo Group - up 6.0% - reported on Wednesday that it closed the first quarter with net sales of EUR 285.8 million, up 3.1% compared to EUR 277.2 million in the first quarter of 2024, with growth of 2.2% at constant exchange rates. Sales grew in all major geographical areas, with the exception of the 'Rest of the World' area, which was penalized by India and Mexico, while Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific showed positive signs.
Biesse, on the other hand, rose 3.7% to EUR7.05 per share, after three sessions in the red.
Among SMEs, Doxee performed strongly, rising by double digits to over 12% in its third session of sharp gains. The stock has posted an aggregate gain of almost 40% in the last five sessions.
Tenax International, down 5.6%, announced on Wednesday that its preliminary turnover for the first quarter of the year amounted to EUR 4.0 million, equal to 18% of the turnover for the whole of 2024, which stood at EUR 21.7 million. The company also announced that its order book for 2025 currently stands at EUR 13.3 million, equal to 61% of the total recorded in 2024.
Casta Diva, on the other hand, fell 2.3% to EUR1.30 per share after gaining 0.8% the previous day.
ATON Green Storage fell 2.4% after gaining 1.4% the previous day.
In New York on Wednesday evening, the Dow closed up 0.7% at 41,113.97, the Nasdaq advanced 0.3% to 17,738.16, while the S&P 500 gained 0.4% to 5,631.28.
In Asia, the Nikkei ended up 0.4%, the Shanghai Composite closed up 0.3%, while the Hang Seng rose 0.3%.
Among currencies, the euro traded at USD 1.1281 from USD 1.1347 on Wednesday evening, while the pound traded at USD 1.3271 from USD 1.3346 on Wednesday evening.
Among commodities, Brent crude traded at USD 61.78 per barrel from USD 62.64 per barrel yesterday evening, while gold traded at USD 3,338.15 per ounce from USD 3,404.10 yesterday evening.
Thursday's macroeconomic calendar includes the Bank of England's interest rate decision at 1:00 p.m. CEST, the key event of the day, followed by a press conference with Governor Andrew Bailey at 3:15 p.m. CEST.
In the afternoon, at 2:30 p.m. CEST, data on weekly unemployment claims, both initial and continuing, will be released in the US.
At 4:00 p.m. CEST, wholesale sales in the US will be published.
By Maurizio Carta, Alliance News reporter
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