(Alliance News) - Major European indices moved higher at Tuesday's opening, following gains on Wall Street, with Piazza Affari outperforming its peers to climb back above the 45,100-point mark.
Buying in New York was supported by statements from U.S. President Donald Trump, who suggested that military operations in Iran could conclude soon and are progressing faster than the initial four-to-five-week estimates.
Meanwhile, oil prices fell below USD100 per barrel. Trump also stated his intention to ensure the security of the Strait of Hormuz, announcing measures to contain energy costs and inflationary pressures.
G7 finance ministers finally declared they are ready to release oil from strategic reserves if necessary. However, the impact of such a measure is expected to remain limited.
The VIX volatility index is currently trading below the 25 level.
Consequently, the FTSE Mib is up 2.5% at 45,139.61, the Mid-Cap is in the green by 2.3% at 56,489.12, the Small-Cap rose 1.6% to 34,692.27, while Italy Growth advanced 0.8% to 8,437.00.
London's FTSE 100 is up 1.6%, while both Paris's CAC 40 and Frankfurt's DAX 40 gained 1.6%.
Returning to Milan, the banking sector is leading the way on the blue-chip index, with UniCredit out front with a 4.6% rise.
Mediobanca and MPS also performed well, both advancing 4.4% ahead of their board meetings. The boards of the two banks are meeting today to approve merger plans and the exchange ratio.
STMicroelectronics moved up 3.4% to EUR28.595 after Deutsche Bank Research raised its target price on the stock to EUR32.00 from EUR28.00.
Prysmian saw strong buying, up 4.6% with nearly 200,000 shares changing hands.
Ferrari also gained, rising 1.4% to EUR299.10. Barclays cut its target price to EUR360.00 from EUR365.00 with an 'overweight' rating.
Only two stocks are in the red on the main basket: Lottomatica shed 1.3%, following yesterday's losses, while Eni dropped 1.7% at the opening, weighed down by falling oil prices.
On the Mid-Cap, Sanlorenzo leads the gainers—up 6.5%—after closing 2025 having met its guidance. The board proposed a dividend of EUR1.05 per share, up from the EUR1.00 coupon paid on May 19, 2025. Group net profit stood at EUR107.4 million, up 4.3% compared to the EUR103.1 million recorded in December 2024.
The standoff between shareholders of Ferretti—up 2.5%—is intensifying. The luxury yacht group is at the center of a governance dispute between majority shareholder Weichai Group and minority shareholder KKCG, the holding company of Czech tycoon Karel Komárek. The latter launched a partial tender offer, starting March 16, aiming to double its stake to 29.99%.
The Chinese conglomerate, controlled by Beijing via Shandong Heavy Industry, rejected accusations of stagnation, citing approximately EUR470 million invested in recent years and reaffirming its support for organic growth and potential selective M&A deals, Milano Finanza explained on Tuesday.
CIR performed well, advancing 4.3% a day after presenting its 2025 results, which showed consolidated revenues of EUR1.80 billion, a 1.1% decrease from EUR1.82 billion the previous year.
Group profit from continuing operations was EUR29.2 million compared to EUR39 million as of December 31, 2024, while the group's net result was EUR28.4 million compared to EUR132.2 million in 2024. The 2024 figure included EUR93.2 million from the sale of Sogefi's Filtration division, which generated a significant capital gain.
The CIR board also decided to propose to the shareholders' meeting not to distribute a dividend, in light of the voluntary tender offer for 50 million treasury shares at a price of EUR0.68 each, totaling EUR34 million.
At the bottom of the mid-cap list, Alerion is in the red by 2.1%.
On the Small-Cap, Tesmec is the top performer at the start with a 7.5% gain.
On the other side of the list, Emak shed 3.5%.
Caltagirone Editore—down 0.3%—announced on 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. The board will propose a dividend of EUR0.04 per share, unchanged from 2024, with payment scheduled for May 20.
The board of Digital Bros—up 5.8%—approved its first-half results on Monday, closing with a net profit of EUR2 million, compared to a loss of EUR3.5 million recorded in the same period the previous year.
Class Editori showed strength, rising 1.4%. The group, which publishes Milano Finanza, could become the subject of a corporate transaction, according to a report by Domani on Monday. Among the interested names is Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio, who is reportedly considering adding the financial publication to Il Giorno, a daily whose publisher he controls through QN.
Maurizio Belpietro is also reportedly looking at Milano Finanza with interest, having long intended to strengthen his publishing hub with an economic newspaper following a failed 2022 attempt with Verità & Affari. Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone, publisher of Il Messaggero, also remains one to watch; he already holds about 5% of Class Editori and could play a role in the company's future developments.
Among SMEs, ICOP started strong, up 3.8%, after shedding 6.7% in Monday's session.
Markbass—yet to see any trades—presented its growth strategy during its first investor day held at its San Giovanni Teatino headquarters. The company, which listed on Euronext Growth Milan last October with a EUR6 million IPO, aims to expand its business beyond its core musical instrument amplifier segment.
SosTravel.com—flat at EUR0.45—announced on Monday that it approved the establishment of Amare Gestioni, a 90%-owned subsidiary.
The new company will manage and market the Acqua di Mare Hotel & Resort, a 4-star facility in Sardinia with 139 rooms and 54 apartments, through a seven-year business lease agreement starting from the 2026 summer season. The remaining 10% will be held by a company linked to the property owners.
Among the laggards on the alternative list, Mare Engineering Group fell 2.7% while SolidWorld Group retreated 4.2%.
In New York on Monday, the Dow Jones closed up 0.5%, the S&P 500 rose 0.8%, while the Nasdaq gained 1.4%.
In Asian markets, the Nikkei closed up 2.9%, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.7%, while the Hang Seng advanced 2.2%.
On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.1651 from USD1.1595 at Monday's European close, while the pound is trading at USD1.3471 from USD1.3404 last night.
Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD91.60 per barrel from USD98.00 on Monday, while gold is worth USD5,184.73 an ounce from USD5,107.06 last night.
Tuesday's macroeconomic calendar includes consumer price inflation data for Italy at 1000 CET.
From the U.S., ADP employment data is due at 1315 CET, followed by weekly oil inventories at 2130 CET.
Among Piazza Affari companies, results are expected from Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Banca Popolare di Sondrio, Carel Industries, R&TL, Saipem, and Toscana Aeroporti.
By Antonio Di Giorgio, Alliance News reporter
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