(Alliance News) - On Friday, major European stock markets remain mixed after the release of data for Eurozone, France, Germany and UK manufacturing and services activity in April.

Thus, the FTSE Mib is in the green 0.2 percent to 27,682.74, the Mid-Cap is down 0.2 percent to 43,540.75, the Small-Cap gives up 0.6 percent to 29,447.08, and Italy Growth is in the red 0.1 percent to 9,212.73.

In Europe, Paris' CAC 40 is up 0.2%, London's FTSE 100 is in the green by 0.4%, and Frankfurt's DAX 40 gives up 0.3%.

In macroeconomic news, the April Eurozone Composite Manufacturing PMI flash index rose for the sixth consecutive month, rising to 54.4 from 53.7 in March and touching the highest reading since May last year. The latest reading indicated the fourth consecutive month of growth recording a rate of expansion that has been accelerating since the beginning of the year, contrasting the six consecutive months of decline in the second half of 2022.

The improved performance is partly due to faster growth in new orders.

As for Garmania's manufacturing sector, the index fell to 44 in April, indicating the largest contraction in manufacturing activity since May 2020, and worse than the market forecast of 45.7, according to preliminary estimates released Friday.

Factory activity shrank for the tenth consecutive month due to a sharp reduction in purchase inventories and a new record improvement in supplier delivery times.

On the main list of Piazza Affari, Saipem does better than all and rises 3.4 percent, after announcing that, together with Clough, the Australian subsidiary of Webuild Group -- in the green by 0.2 percent on the Mid -- as an equal joint venture, it has obtained full contractual effectiveness for the development of the Perdaman Industries urea plant, located on the coast of Western Australia, with the achievement of the Commencement Date.

The value of the new contract is just over USD2.8 billion-EUR2.56 billion; each JV participant's share is about USD1.4 billion.

The plant will be the largest in Australia and one of the largest in the world and will ensure the highest standards of sustainability of production processes. It will also be part of a very large project for Western Australia, generating an average of 2,000 jobs during the construction phase and about 200 permanent jobs during the operational phase.

Interpump Group--up 0.3 percent--announced the acquisition of 70 percent of the capital of I.Mec Srl, which specializes in the manufacture of mechanical screens, or devices for particle size selection of matter through vibration mechanisms, with the ceramic, recycling, purification, food and cosmetics industries as its main application sectors.

The value of the transaction has been set at about EUR14 million, and put and call mechanisms have been defined through which, starting in April 2026, counterparties will be able to buy and sell the remaining 30 percent.

Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena--up 1.8 percent--reported Thursday that the shareholders' meeting approved the 2022 budget and appointed board members.

Chairman Nicola Maione and deputy Gianluca Brancadoro join the board, as well as Luigi Lovaglio, Paola Lucantoni, Anna Paola Negri-Clementi, Laura Martiniello, Donatella Visconti, Lucia Foti Belligambi, Domenico Lombardi, Paolo Fabris De Fabris, Renato Sala, Stefano Di Stefano, Marco Giorgino, Alessandra Giuseppina Barzaghi, and Paola De Martini.

The board then decided that Luigi Lovaglio remain CEO.

Doing worse than everyone else was TIM, in the red by 2.6 percent,which announced that it had acquired TS-Way, an Italian company specializing in cyber attack prevention and analysis services.

The deal was finalized through Telsy, a group company focused on cybersecurity, which operates as part of TIM Enterprise.

On the Mid-Cap, Salvatore Ferragamo gives up 5.2 percent, after announcing Thursday consolidated revenues for the first quarter of 2023, having reported a decline to EUR277.9 million as of March 31 from EUR289.4 million in the same period of 2022.

OVS -- in the green by 2.1 percent -- announced Wednesday that it ended the year to January 31, 2023 with net sales at EUR1.51 billion up more than 11 percent from EUR1.36 billion recorded a year earlier. In addition, the board of directors resolved to propose to the shareholders' meeting the payment of a dividend for the 2022 financial year of EUR0.06 per share.

Adjusted net income amounted to EUR78.4 million, up more than 75 percent from EUR44.8 million recorded in 2021.

Arnoldo Mondadori Editore -- in the red by 0.7 percent -- announced Thursday that it had executed a contract for the sale to PBF of its 18.45 percent shareholding in Europea di Edizioni, publisher of the daily newspaper Il Giornale.

The consideration for the transaction, to be settled entirely in cash, is defined as EUR2.3 million.

The sale results in a net gain in the Mondadori group's income statement of EUR500,000.

On the Small-Cap, the board of directors of Servizi Italia -- in the green by 2.2 percent -- announced Thursday that the shareholders' meeting resolved to initiate a new buyback plan for the purchase of up to 6.3 million treasury shares.

The maximum amount of money earmarked for the execution of the program is estimated to be no more than EUR9.5 million.

Piquadro is not affected by trading, but reported on Wednesday that, in fiscal year 2022-2023, revenues increased 18 percent to EUR175.6 million from EUR149.4 million while, in the fourth quarter alone, they improved 22 percent to EUR48.8 million from EUR40.0 million.

Eems Italia - in the red by 0.2 percent - announced that it has approved its main results for the year ended Dec. 31, 2022, having reported a net loss of EUR2.3 million, from a loss of EUR287,000 in the same period last year.

Operating loss amounted to EUR2.2 million from a loss for EUR990,000 in 2021.

Operating income amounted to EUR1.4 million, up from EUR721,000 as of Dec. 31, 2021.

Among SMEs, Eprcommunication is not yet affected by trade, having reported revenues of EUR5.2 million in 2022 from EUR5.1 million recorded as of Dec. 31, 2021, up 1.2 percent.

Profit amounted to EUR13,891 from a profit of EUR38,615 as of Dec. 31, 2021, down 33%.

CleanBnB rises 2.8 percent after announcing that it approved the draft financial statements for the year ended Dec. 31, having reported a loss of EUR155,305, an 86 percent improvement from a loss of EUR1.2 million in 2021.

Consolidated revenues amounted to EUR9.4 million from EUR4.0 million in the same period of the previous year and a triple-digit improvement of 136 percent.

Farmaè -- in the red by 0.5 percent -- reported Thursday that it posted a 46 percent year-on-year increase in revenues in the first quarter to EUR38.8 million from EUR26.5 million in the same period a year earlier.

Monnalisa rises 2.9%. The company reported that it is ready to adopt Blockchain technology with a pilot activity on the Couture line, through the "Track IT Blockchain Project" of ICE - Government Agency for the Internationalization and Promotion of Italian Companies.

In Asia, the Nikkei closed down 0.3 percent to 28,564.37 in the red and the Hang Seng gave up 1.6 percent to 20,075.73, while the Shanghai Composite closed down 2.0 percent to 3,301.26.

In New York on Thursday, the Dow Jones closed down 0.3 percent to 33,786.62, the S&P lost 0.6 percent to 4,129.79, while the Nasdaq was down 0.8 percent to 12,059.79.

Among currencies, the euro changed hands at USD1.0962 against USD1.0972 at Thursday's close. In contrast, the pound is worth USD1.23.92 from USD1.2455 on Thursday evening.

Among commodities, Brent crude is worth USD80.66 per barrel USD81.04 per barrel Thursday evening. Gold, on the other hand, trades at USD1,997.80 an ounce from USD2,002.73 an ounce at Thursday's close.

Friday's economic calendar features Canadian retail sales at 1430 CEST and U.S. PMI at 1545 CEST.

By Claudia Cavaliere, Alliance News reporter

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