(Alliance News) – On Friday, European markets ended the session with modest gains, as investors digested news from Russia, where the suspension of peace talks with Ukraine pushed oil prices higher.

Attention also turned to Fitch’s upcoming rating decision on France, which is still reeling from a political crisis that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Francoise Byrou.

In this context, Milan’s Mib index closed up 0.3% at 42,566.41 points. The Mid-Cap rose 0.3% to 56,422.33, the Small-Cap gained 0.4% to 35,646.38, and the Italy Growth index edged up 0.2% to 8,537.93 points.

Paris’ CAC 40 finished slightly lower, Frankfurt’s DAX 40 slipped 0.1%, and London’s FTSE 100 lost 0.2%.

Axel Rudolph, Senior Technical Analyst at IG, noted: “The UK economy stagnated in July, with flat GDP, a 0.9% drop in industrial production, and broad weakness in manufacturing, offset by modest gains in services and construction. The pound dipped briefly against the dollar on the news, while the FTSE 100 defied negative data, remaining near record highs thanks to strength in insurance and mining stocks.”

“A similar pattern,” he added, “was seen in the US, where Wall Street hovered close to all-time highs without much conviction, as US consumer sentiment weakened,” Rudolph concluded.

On the main Milan list, banks led the way: Monte dei Paschi di Siena surged 3.5% to EUR8.3660 per share, and Mediobanca climbed 3.4% to EUR22.00 per share.

On Monday, settlement begins for shares tendered to Banca Monte Paschi di Siena’s OPAS, which reached 62.3% of Mediobanca, reshaping shareholder structures, as reported by Corriere della Sera on Friday.

Delfin will hold around 21%, the Caltagirone group 13%, Edizione over 1.5%, Enpam 1.75%, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) 6%, and Banco BPM – up 2.1%, hitting a new annual high at EUR12.44 per share – also via Anima, around 4%.

A year after entering Commerzbank, the deal initiated by UniCredit CEO Andrea Orcel has already yielded a 20% return, MF-Milano Finanza reported Friday. UniCredit shares added 0.1%.

Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, speaking at the Kepler Cheuvreux Autumn Conference in Paris, forecast a recovery in volumes from Q4 2025 through 2026. The stock, meanwhile, slipped 1.8%.

After Goldman Sachs raised its target price to EUR90.00 from EUR67.00, Prysmian gained 1.7%.

In the utilities sector, Unoenergy’s sale took a new direction: Edison, previously considered the frontrunner, decided to withdraw from the competitive auction, leaving Hera – up 1.0% – as the main contender. Enel, under CEO Flavio Cattaneo, reviewed the dossier but may not submit a bid, closing up 0.5%.

DiaSorin extended its losing streak, falling 1.2% for a second consecutive session.

On the Mid-Cap, Avio soared 13% to EUR39.90 per share.

Tamburi closed the half-year with a net profit of EUR46.9 million, up from EUR34.0 million in the same period last year. Revenues stood at EUR730,750 compared to EUR778,675 in the first half of 2024. The stock responded positively, rising 5.3%.

Cembre posted a first-half net profit of EUR22.6 million, up 8.6% from EUR20.8 million a year earlier. Sales revenues reached EUR124.3 million, a 4.0% increase from EUR119.5 million in the previous year’s first half. Shares, however, ended down 4.2%.

Anima Holding – down 0.5% – reported a positive net inflow of EUR325 million in managed savings for August, excluding insurance mandates under branch I. Total assets under management stood at EUR207.0 billion, rising to EUR208.2 billion including administered assets. Year-to-date net inflows reached EUR2.23 billion.

Sesa also performed well, confirming a return to organic growth and full alignment with its 2026-27 industrial plan guidance. The stock jumped 5.6% on Friday.

On the Small-Cap index, Esprinet led the pack, surging 7.6% to EUR5.64 per share after Intesa Sanpaolo raised its target price to EUR6.70 from EUR6.00 and reiterated its ‘buy’ recommendation.

Eurotech ended the first half with a net loss of EUR7.6 million, widening from a EUR5.5 million loss a year earlier. The stock retreated 3.6%. Majority shareholder Emera is ready to inject EUR6.5 million to support a turnaround.

B&C Speakers – down 4.2% – reported total profit of EUR5.2 million, down from EUR11.8 million in the first half of 2024, “including a non-recurring positive effect of EUR3.9 million from the Patent Box.” The year-on-year change was a negative 57%.

Fidia fell 11%, Altea Green Power dropped 10% despite a slight increase in half-year profit. SIT, on the other hand, rose 3.4%.

Among SMEs, Italian Wine Brands approved its first-half report, closing with a net profit of EUR10.3 million, up from EUR9.1 million in the first six months of 2024. The stock benefited, rising 1.8%.

eVISO – up 0.3% – announced Friday it had implemented a major technology update, shifting over 7,500 hours of administrative tasks, previously handled manually by around 10 operators, onto its proprietary digital platform. These employees are now focused on more creative, high-value activities.

Riba Mundo finalized the sale of 57% of ePRICE IT Srl to Connecteed Srl for EUR135,000, to be received in multiple tranches by year-end. The company retains a 10% stake. Shares rose 3.2%.

Gambero Rosso was the top performer, up 8.4%, with around 40 contracts signed and over 185,000 shares traded. Cyberoo also did well, rising 8.2%, and Ubaldi Costruzioni gained 3.1%.

Redelfi – down 5.7% – was among the worst performers: FTSE Russell announced changes to sub-sectors of listed stocks on Piazza Affari, moving the company from Asset Managers and Custodians to Professional Business Support Services.

Ena dropped 12% to EUR0.76 per share.

In New York, the Dow fell 0.3%, the Nasdaq rose 0.4%, and the S&P 500 edged up 0.1%.

On the currency front, the euro changed hands at USD1.1726 from USD1.1730 at Thursday’s equity close, while the pound traded at USD1.3559 from USD1.3557 the previous evening.

In commodities, Brent crude traded at USD67.39 from USD66.39 per barrel at Thursday evening’s close, while gold was valued at USD3,649.82 an ounce from USD3,636.72 an ounce at the previous European stock market close.

Looking ahead to Monday’s economic calendar, Chinese industrial production data is due at 0400 CEST, while German wholesale prices are scheduled for 0800 CEST.

At 1000 CEST, Italy’s trade balance will be released, followed by the Eurozone trade balance at 1100 CEST.

French BTF auctions for 3, 6, and 12 months are set for 1500 CEST, while US Treasury bill auctions are scheduled for 1730 CEST.

On Piazza Affari, Circle, Neurosoft, and SS Lazio will report results on Monday.

By Michele Cirulli, Alliance News Reporter

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