(Alliance News) – European stock markets are set for a positive open on Wednesday, with investors closely monitoring the evolving political landscape in France following the unexpected resignation of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. Uncertainty over the government’s ability to ensure political stability and fiscal discipline is fueling a cautious stance among market participants.
German industrial production contracted by 4.3% month-on-month in August 2025, reversing the 1.3% increase seen in July and coming in well below market expectations, which had forecast a milder 1% decline. This marks the steepest monthly drop since March 2022. The figures were released Wednesday by Destatis.
On an annual basis, overall industrial production fell by 3.9%, a sharp turnaround from the 1.5% growth recorded in the previous period.
Against this backdrop, the FTSE Mib–after closing down 0.2% at 43,070.95 last night–is marking a gain of 47.50 points.
London’s FTSE 100 is up by 16.20 points, the CAC 40 in Paris is ahead by 9.80 points, and Frankfurt’s DAX 40 is up by 24.80 points.
Among the minor indices last night, the Mid-Cap lost 0.2% to 57,857.71, the Small-Cap closed fractionally lower at 37,619.56, while Italy Growth advanced 0.5% to 8,793.82.
Back in Milan, on the main Piazza Affari list, Moncler led the way, closing up 2.4% with over 740,000 shares changing hands, breaking a two-session losing streak.
Brunello Cucinelli also stood out, rising 2.1%, while AQR Capital Management increased its short position on the stock to 1.22% from 1.12%.
Unipol continued its positive run, up 2.0% for the third consecutive session of gains.
FinecoBank also saw strong buying, rising 1.2% after announcing September inflows of EUR 748 million, up 61% from EUR 466 million a year earlier. The client base grew by 35% with 17,300 new accounts compared to September 2024.
Banca Mediolanum gained 0.4% after reporting positive commercial data for September, with total volumes of EUR 787 million and net inflows of EUR 440 million, bringing the year-to-date figure to EUR 8.15 billion from EUR 7.16 billion in the same period of 2024.
Enel slipped 0.3% to EUR 8.167, weighed down by HSBC’s downgrade from ‘buy’ to ‘hold’, with a target price set at EUR 8.70.
The banking sector was weak, with Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena and Banco BPM both down 1.7%, Mediobanca falling 0.6%, and BPER Banca declining 1.8%. On the latter, AQR Capital Management reduced its short position to 0.59% from the previous 0.62%.
At the bottom of the blue-chip list was STMicroelectronics, which dropped 1.9% to EUR 24.41 after Goldman Sachs cut its target price to EUR 21.60 from EUR 22.60, maintaining a “neutral” rating.
On the Mid-Cap, Danieli & C stood out, ending the day up 2.2%, extending its positive streak to a fifth consecutive session.
Anima Holding ended unchanged at EUR 6.12 after announcing that net managed savings inflows, excluding branch I insurance mandates, were positive by EUR 242 million in September. Total assets under management stood at EUR 208.1 billion, rising to EUR 209.3 billion including administered assets.
Banca Generali gained 0.3% after reporting net inflows of EUR 402 million in September, up 30% year-on-year, bringing the year-to-date total to EUR 4.4 billion.
The bank highlighted that this was the second-best September in its history, a period that traditionally sees a slowdown due to the end of the summer holidays and anticipation for the annual convention that draws bankers’ attention.
Among the most traded stocks by value, Fincantieri closed up 0.3% at EUR 26.36.
At the bottom of the list was d’Amico, which lost 3.4% to EUR 4.244 per share, breaking a three-session winning streak.
On the Small-Cap, Aquafil posted a 5.5% gain to EUR 2.09, marking its fourth consecutive session of gains and hitting a new 52-week high at EUR 2.11 per share.
Esprinet, on the other hand, fell 2.4%, while Numeric Investors reduced its short position on the stock to 0.53% from 0.67%.
Among the day’s losers were I Grandi Viaggi, down 4.0%, and Seri Industrial, which ended the session down 5.2%.
Among SMEs, Edgelab stood out, gaining over 14% and marking its third consecutive session of gains, while Markbass and Porto Aviation Group both advanced by 14%.
CleanBnB slipped 1.7% after announcing Monday that its property portfolio rose to 3,055 units in the first nine months, up 4.0% from December 31, 2024.
Mare Engineering Group closed up 2.8% after announcing the launch of a full voluntary takeover bid for Eles Semiconductor Equipment, which rose 1.8%, targeting the acquisition of all shares except the 5.2 million already held in the portfolio.
At the bottom of the alternative list, Growens stood out, losing 5.4% to EUR 2.82 and hitting a new annual low of EUR 2.80 during the session.
On Wall Street last night, indices closed lower. The Dow lost 0.2%, the Nasdaq fell 0.7%, and the S&P 500 slipped 0.4%.
In Asia, the Hang Seng is down 0.8%, the Shanghai Composite remained closed for a holiday, while the Nikkei is down 0.4%.
On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD 1.1608 from USD 1.1677 at last night’s equity close, while the pound is at USD 1.3385 from USD 1.3442 last night.
Among commodities, Brent crude is trading at USD 66.11 a barrel from USD 65.25 at yesterday’s close, while gold is valued at USD 4,023.44 an ounce from USD 3,968.02 an ounce last night.
Wednesday’s macroeconomic calendar sees European Central Bank’s Elderson speaking at 1230 CEST, while at 1300 CEST, US data on weekly mortgage applications and the MBA 30-year rate update will be released.
Early afternoon at 1400 CEST, German car registration figures are due. This will be followed at 1500 CEST by a speech from ECB Supervisory Board member Tuominen.
At 1600 CEST, US construction data will be published, followed at 1630 CEST by crude oil inventory figures and the EIA’s weekly report.
In Europe, at 1800 CEST, ECB President Christine Lagarde will speak, while the day will conclude at 1915 CEST with remarks from Federal Reserve’s Logan.
No significant announcements are expected from Piazza Affari.
By Maurizio Carta, Alliance News reporter
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