European markets expected in the red following yesterday's gains

(Alliance News) - On Wednesday, major European stock exchanges are expected to open lower according to IG futures, after showing some momentum yesterday following remarks by Trump, who suggested a short-term resolution to the Middle East conflict against Iran.

Consequently, commodities also halted their rally. The Mib is projected to open down 0.6% or 280 points today, after closing the previous session with a 2.7% increase at 45,201.69 points. The CAC 40 is seen falling by 0.6% or 45 points, the DAX 40 by 0.3% or 59 points, and the FTSE 100 by 0.2% or 19 points.

Among the smaller indices in Piazza Affari on Tuesday, the Mid-Cap closed up 2.1% at 56,414.31, the Small-Cap rose 1.7% to 34,748.20, while Italy Growth gained 1.1% to 8,467.62.

Among Milanese blue chips, strength was seen in banking stocks Mediobanca and Banca Monte dei Paschi, both rising 5.0% on the day their boards met to approve merger plans and the exchange ratio. Mediobanca shareholders will receive 2.45 MPS shares for every Mediobanca share. The new shares will be listed on Piazza Affari.

UniCredit also performed well, gaining 5.7% to reach the top of the list. The queen of Piazza Affari – which remains the largest Italian company by market cap – advanced after three consecutive bearish candles, with the price around EUR68.81.

STMicroelectronics advanced 5.6% to EUR29.22 per share. Deutsche Bank Research confirmed a positive outlook on the stock, maintaining a 'buy' recommendation and raising the target price to EUR32.00 from EUR28.00. In the report signed by Johannes Schaller, the German bank highlighted how the company is strengthening its exposure to the AI-related data center segment, identified as one of the main growth drivers for the coming years.

Ferrari rose 1.9% to EUR300.50 per share. Notably, Barclays revised its target price for the stock downward to EUR360.00 from the previous EUR365.00.

Eni – down 0.6% – lost ground as crude prices fell. Additionally, the company announced on Tuesday that Plenitude signed a 15-year partnership with Methagora for biomethane supply in France. The agreement stipulates that Plenitude will purchase approximately 50 GWh of biomethane per year for a 15-year period, in compliance with French regulations on the Biomethane Production Certificate system.

On the secondary segment, Carel Industries topped the list, surging 9.1%. The company board on Tuesday approved the consolidated results as of December 31, 2025, recording a net result of EUR73.6 million, an 18% increase compared to 2024. The board also proposed a dividend of EUR0.195 per share, up from EUR0.165 last year.

Sanlorenzo also performed strongly, rising 4.1% to EUR30.55 per share following solid results. Group net profit stood at EUR107.4 million, up 4.3% from EUR103.1 million recorded in December 2024. The board proposed a dividend of EUR1.05 per share to the shareholders' meeting, up from the EUR1.00 coupon paid on May 19, 2025.

d'Amico International Shipping – up 2.5% – announced Tuesday that its operating subsidiary d'Amico Tankers (Ireland) signed new financing contracts for six of its owned vessels. The total amount reaches USD83.0 million, with margins on the three-month SOFR rate ranging between 130 basis points – for the most recent financing – and 150 basis points, with an average margin of 1.4%.

Among the minority of decliners, Moltiply Group fell 4.0%, subject to profit-taking and closing at the bottom of the list, breaking a five-session winning streak.

On the Small-Cap index, Tesmec showed strength, gaining 9.1% after a 2.7% drop in the previous session.

SIT gained 6.1% after a 1.1% loss the day before. The stock – which has not paid a dividend since 2022 – closed the session with the price around EUR2.78, with a positive variation exceeding 8% over five sessions.

Aeffe advanced 1.7% after two bearish sessions, ahead of results due on Thursday.

Caltagirone Editore – flat at EUR1.82 – announced Monday that it closed 2025 with a net profit of EUR626,000, down from EUR8.2 million in 2024, while total profit rose to EUR163.1 million thanks to the revaluation of equity holdings and capital gains on listed securities.

Among SMEs, Casta Diva shares jumped 9.2% after a 0.9% loss in the previous session.

Friends – up over 14% and topping the list – approved the strategic growth lines for the group that will emerge from the acquisition of PMG Italia. This operation will lead to the creation of the so-called Friends group and will be accompanied by the issuance of warrants for shareholders. Key development paths include the introduction of a new offering line within PMG Italia called "Business Direzionale," dedicated to sustainable mobility projects fully funded by a corporate sponsor receiving exclusive brand visibility.

Innovatec posted a 7.9% gain after a 3.4% loss on Monday evening.

Alfonsino fell 4.6% after a 3.2% gain in the previous session; the stock has seen its market cap drop by over 18% since the start of the year.

In Asia, the Nikkei closed up 1.5% at 55,066 points, the Shanghai Composite ended 0.3% higher at 4,133.43, and the Hang Seng is trading down 0.2% at 25,907.50.

In New York, the Dow Jones fell 0.1% to 47,706.51, the S&P 500 showed a 0.2% contraction to 6,781.48, while the Nasdaq concluded trading with a fractional gain at 22,697.10.

On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.1633 from USD1.1643 on Tuesday, while the pound is at USD1.3444 from USD1.3452 yesterday evening.

Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD87.54 per barrel from USD89.10 on Tuesday, while gold is worth USD5,196.28 per ounce from USD5,223.43 yesterday evening.

Wednesday's macroeconomic calendar includes the OPEC monthly report at 1100 CET.

In Italy, a 12-month BOT auction is scheduled for 1100 CET.

In the US, the mortgage market report will arrive at 1200 CET, followed by inflation data at 1330 CET. At 1800 CET, a 10-year Treasury Note auction will be held.

Among Piazza Affari companies, results are expected from Assicurazioni Generali, BasicNet, BPER Banca, Cementir Holding, ERG, Esprinet, Geox, Leonardo, Salvatore Ferragamo, SYS-DAT, Telecom Italia, and Tesmec.

By Michele Cirulli, Alliance News reporter

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