(Alliance News) - European equity markets are poised for a positive open on Wednesday, tracking a global market rally fueled by improving risk sentiment after US President Donald Trump stated that military operations in Iran could conclude within two to three weeks.
While the statements suggest the US may have achieved many of its initial objectives, uncertainty remains regarding the precise timing, and the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to keep geopolitical risks elevated.
Consequently, the FTSE MIB - after closing up 1.1% at 44,309.71 yesterday evening - is marking a gain of 870.00 points in the futures market.
London's FTSE 100 is called up 117.00 points, the Paris CAC 40 is expected to rise by 140.60 points, while Frankfurt's DAX 40 is projected to open 860.00 points higher.
Among the smaller indices on Tuesday, the Mid-Cap gained 0.7% to 53,301.22, the Small-Cap rose 1.4% to 32,415.75, while Italy Growth retreated 0.1% to 8,284.91.
Returning to Milan, on Piazza Affari's large-cap list, Leonardo led the gainers yesterday evening, closing up 4.3% with nearly 4 million shares traded, breaking a three-session losing streak.
It was followed by Prysmian, up 4.0%, and Avio, which gained 3.0%.
Saipem saw solid buying interest, ending the session 2.2% higher. During Egypes 2026, the group highlighted the strategic role of the Mediterranean as a potential global gas balancing hub, supporting energy security and supply diversification.
Italgas showed strength, closing up 0.8% at EUR10.03 per share. Bernstein raised its target price on the stock to EUR9.80 from EUR9.50 with a "market-perform" recommendation.
Stellantis performed well, rising 1.1% with 23 million shares changing hands. The group is accelerating its AI initiatives but remains under operational pressure in North America. As reported by Milano Finanza on Tuesday, the group led by Antonio Filosa renewed its partnership with Palantir for five years, active since 2016, extending the use of the Foundry platform and introducing the new AIP. The goal is to integrate data across factories, supply chains, and commercial operations, improving decision-making and control in line with the "Data4All" strategy.
Eni - up 1.2% - announced on Tuesday that Plenitude, through its subsidiary Plenitude On The Road, will contribute to the creation of the first ultra-fast charging corridor along the AP-9 in Spain, in the Galicia region.
Among the few decliners, MPS closed with a fractional loss, Inwit shed 0.7%, while Campari ended 0.5% lower.
At the bottom of the main list was Buzzi - down 0.9% - which announced on Tuesday that its board of directors approved the results for the 2025 financial year, closing with a profit of EUR924.1 million, a 2.0% decrease from the EUR942.5 million recorded in 2024.
The board will propose a dividend of EUR0.70 per share, in line with the payout in May 2025. Revenues amounted to EUR4.5 billion, up 4.8% compared to the EUR4.3 billion recorded in the previous twelve months.
On the Mid-Cap, Webuild performed well, closing up 0.5%. The company announced on Tuesday that its subsidiary Clough was awarded a EUR116 million contract for the design and construction of "Kwinana Gas Power Generation 2", a 220 MW open-cycle gas power plant in Kwinana, 40 kilometers south of Perth, to be built for AGL Energy.
Buying interest returned to BFF Bank after recent declines, with the stock closing up 0.5%.
The board of Ferretti - flat at EUR3.99 - approved the 2025 financial results on Tuesday, proposing a dividend per share of EUR0.11 and reporting a net profit of EUR90.1 million, up 2.2% compared to 2024. Last year's dividend was EUR0.10 per share.
Net revenues reached EUR1.23 billion, a 5.0% increase over the previous year, outperforming its reference market, as explained by the company in a note.
PharmaNutra showed strength, gaining 3.6% to EUR78.70, hitting a 52-week high of EUR79.40 per share during the session.
At the bottom of the mid-cap list, Banca Ifis ended down 2.8%, marking its fourth consecutive bearish session.
On the Small-Cap, Trevi Finanziaria Industriale ended the session with a double-digit surge, recording a 12% rise after plunging 34% in Monday's session.
Ending at the bottom of the list were OPS eCom, down 16%, and OPS Retail, down 14%.
The board of Caleffi - down 0.7% - approved the 2025 results on Tuesday, reporting a net profit of EUR1.8 million, up from EUR1.7 million in 2024.
Among SMEs with the highest trading turnover, Casta Diva Group saw strong buying, gaining 6.2% to EUR2.74.
Directa SIM also showed strength, closing up 2.0% at EUR7.00, after touching a 52-week high of EUR7.08 during trading.
Valtecne - down 2.0% - announced on Tuesday that it closed 2025 with a net profit of EUR3.3 million, a 31% decrease compared to the pro-forma 2024 figure of EUR4.8 million, primarily due to higher depreciation and amortization related to the acquisition of Utilità.
Circle - flat at EUR10.20 - announced on Tuesday that its subsidiary eXyond completed the acquisition of 100% of the share capital of QMAP, an Italian company active in developing advanced technological solutions in GIS (Geographic Information System) and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), for a total of approximately EUR1.5 million.
At the bottom of the alternative list, among the most traded stocks, Ecosuntek shed 6.9%.
In New York, during the European evening, the Dow gained 2.5%, the Nasdaq advanced 3.8%, while the S&P 500 closed up 2.9%.
In Asian markets, the Nikkei is heading toward a 5.0% gain, the Shanghai Composite is up 1.4%, while the Hang Seng is rising 2.1%.
On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.1568 from USD1.1524 yesterday evening, while the pound is trading at USD1.3266 from USD1.3198 on Tuesday evening.
Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD102.60 per barrel from USD107.40 per barrel yesterday evening, while gold is valued at USD4,695.00 per ounce from USD4,610.63 per ounce yesterday evening.
Wednesday's macroeconomic calendar features the Italian manufacturing PMI at 0945 CEST, followed by French data at 0950 CEST and the German indicator at 0955 CEST.
At 1000 CEST, attention remains on Italy with the monthly unemployment rate, while the Eurozone manufacturing PMI is also expected at the same time.
At 1030 CEST, the UK manufacturing PMI will be published, followed by the Eurozone unemployment rate at 1100 CEST.
In the afternoon, at 1300 CEST, the US MBA 30-year mortgage rate and mortgage applications are scheduled. Retail sales will be released at 1430 CEST, followed by the manufacturing PMI at 1545 CEST.
The day continues at 1630 CEST with crude oil inventories and the EIA weekly refined products data.
No major corporate announcements are expected from Piazza Affari companies.
By Maurizio Carta, Alliance News reporter
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