(Alliance News) – On Thursday, major European stock markets opened in positive territory on a morning punctuated by a number of macro data releases, including the consumer confidence indicator.
Thus, the FTSE Mib opens in the green by 0.5 percent to 34,061.07 the Mid-Cap is up 0.2 percent to 47,259.92, the Small-Cap rises 0.3 percent to 28,996.19, while Italy Growth is up 0.1 percent to 8,071.54.
In Europe, Paris’ CAC 40 is in the green by 0.3 percent, London’s FTSE100 is up 0.2 percent, as is Frankfurt’s DAX 40.
In macroeconomic news, car registrations in the European Union rose 0.2% year-on-year to 852,051 units in July, much weaker than the previous month’s 4.3% growth.
However, it marked the second consecutive month of increase amid mixed results in the region’s four major markets.
Car registrations grew in Italy by 4.7 percent and Spain by 3.4 percent, but declined in France by 2.3 percent and Germany by 2.1 percent.
On the main list in Piazza Affari, Tenaris takes the top spot and rises 3.9 percent, followed by STMicroelectronics, in the green by 1.9 percent, and Campari, which closes the podium with a 1.4 percent increase.
BPER Banca – in the green by 0.6 percent – announced that it has completed the placement of a new covered bond issue in the amount of EUR500 million with a maturity of five years to July 2029. This is the second European Covered Bond Premium issue, aimed at institutional investors, carried out by the bank during 2024. The issue raised orders exceeding EUR1.9 billion from 68 investors.
Utilities struggle, with Italgas sitting at the bottom with a 0.3 percent decline and Hera down 0.1 percent.
Brunello Cucinelli rises 0.1% after it reported Wednesday that it closed the first half with a profit of EUR66.1 million, up 31% from EUR50.4 million as of June 30, 2023, net of the effects of an extraordinary capital gain from the extraordinary sale of a minority stake in Lanificio Cariaggi to Chanel on May 23, 2023.
Including the benefit of this capital gain, profit for the first half of 2023 is higher than in 2024 and amounts to EUR66.7 million.
Revenues amounted to EUR620.7 million, up from EUR543.9 million in the first half of 2023.
On the Mid-Cap, Juventus Football Club – in the green by 1.1 percent – announced that it has reached an agreement with Atalanta BC for the outright acquisition of the rights to the sports performance of footballer Teun Koopmeiners for a consideration of EUR51.3 million, payable in four financial years, plus ancillary charges of EUR3.4 million.
Premiums of no more than EUR6 million are also provided for upon achievement of certain sporting goals. Juventus signed a sports performance contract with the player until June 30, 2029.
Fincantieri — in the green by 0.1 percent — announced Wednesday that VARD, the group’s Norwegian subsidiary, has signed a contract with Island Offshore, a Norwegian shipowner operating in the oil & gas and renewables markets, for the design and construction of a second hybrid-powered Ocean Energy Construction Vessel. The new agreement covers the exercise of an option provided in the contract for one OECV and the option for two sister vessels announced in May.
Acea – down 0.1 percent – announced that Pier Francesco Ragni, the current Deputy General Manager Corporate, has also been appointed head of the company’s Administration, Finance and Control Function and Chief Financial Officer to replace Sabrina Di Bartolomeo, who resigned from the role and from that of Manager in Charge of Financial Reporting.
In addition, the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the joint development of business opportunities in the water sector in Africa and the Middle East with Orascom Construction, an engineering and construction services company that is active in the implementation of large industrial and infrastructure projects in the Middle East, Africa and the US.
On the Small-Cap, Pininfarina–up 0.3 percent–on Monday announced the signing of a commercial agreement with a major OEM involving development and production activities.
The contract, which includes some preliminary concept activities already executed on the basis of specific orders starting in 2023, is worth more than EUR90 million and runs until April 2026.
Among the bearers are Enervit, Brioschi and Somec, down between 2.5 percent and 1.7 percent.
Among SMEs, Misitano & Stracuzzi – not yet affected by trading – reported that Intermonte SIM Spa, acting as Global Coordinator in the process of admission and trading of the company’s ordinary shares on Euronext Growth Milan, has partially exercised the Greenshoe option, granted by Stracuzzi Holding Srl, for a total of 507,000 ordinary shares of the company.
With the partial exercise of the Greenshoe option, the stabilization period ends with immediate effect.
Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment rises 10 percent after announcing Tuesday that the board of directors has appointed Stephen Joel Brown to the position of director.
Alfonsino is not yet trading. The company announced Monday that it has signed an agreement with Moderna 2020 Srl to activate home delivery service at 36 outlets in locations served by Alfonsino.
Moderna 2020 owns the Grand Eté, Eté PRime and Eté Smarty brand supermarkets. The agreement calls for activation first in Salerno and then extension to the other 35 municipalities served by Alfonsino.
In Asia, the Nikkei closed fractionally in the red at 38,362.53, the Hang Seng picks up 0.5 percent to 17,776.91, and the Shanghai Composite lost 0.5 percent to 2,823.11.
In New York on European night, the Dow closed 0.4 percent in the red at 41,091.42, the Nasdaq fell 1.2 percent to 17,556.03, and the S&P 500 lost 0.6 percent to 5,592.18.
Among currencies, the euro changed hands at USD1.1128 versus USD1.1126 in Wednesday’s European equities close while the pound was worth USD1.3218 from USD1.3201 on Wednesday evening.
Among commodities, Brent crude trades at USD77.83 per barrel versus USD78.81 per barrel at Wednesday’s close. Gold, on the other hand, trades at USD2,548.75 an ounce from USD2,507.77 an ounce on Wednesday evening.
On Thursday’s macroeconomic calendar, at 1000 CEST from Germany the inflation figure is expected, while at 1100 CEST it will be the turn from the Eurozone for consumer confidence and inflation expectations, along with industrial sentiment.
At 1115 CEST, Lane’s speech from the ECB is scheduled.
From the U.S., at 1430 CEST coming up is the unemployment claims figure, the PCE inflation figure, as well as second quarter GDP.
At 2130 CEST, a speech by Bostic of the FOMC is scheduled, while at 2230 CEST it will be the turn of the Federela Reserve’s weekly budget.
No special events are scheduled on the corporate calendar in the Piazza Affari.
By Claudia Cavaliere, Alliance News reporter
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