(Alliance News) - On Friday, major European indices are expected to open slightly above par but without significant momentum, amid a climate of de-escalation regarding attacks on energy infrastructure.
U.S. President Donald Trump has ruled out the possibility of a ground troop intervention against Iran, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaled that the administration is considering a potential lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil.
Oil prices fell in European pre-market trading after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Iran is "in the process of being destroyed" and that the conflict could end sooner than expected.
The market also reacted positively to comments from U.S. President Donald Trump, who stated that Israel will not further strike Iranian energy infrastructure following attacks on a major gas field that had fueled fears of escalation in the Gulf.
However, caution remains high: with the conflict entering its fourth week, stock markets remain under pressure, while oil holds around USD110 per barrel and gas maintains recent gains due to the substantial closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key hub for approximately one-fifth of global oil and gas flows.
The FTSE Mib is called up 0.5% or 242.5 points after closing Thursday down 2.3% at 43,701.38.
In Milan yesterday evening, the Mid-Cap ended 3.0% lower at 51,960.12, the Small-Cap closed down 2.0% at 32,093.11, while Italy Growth retreated 0.4% to 8,330.88.
In Europe, London's FTSE 100 and Paris's CAC 40 are indicated at par, while Frankfurt's DAX 40 is expected to rise 0.4% or 98.9 points.
Returning to Milan, on the MIB, Eni was among the few gainers, closing up 3.8% driven - in part - by the rise in crude prices, as was its subsidiary Saipem, which gained 0.9%.
Telecom Italia - down 5.7% - announced on Thursday that it has signed a non-binding agreement with Fastweb and Vodafone for the construction and management of new mobile phone towers in Italy, with the prospect of creating up to 6,000 new sites. The joint initiative is also aimed at accelerating the national 5G roll-out.
Inwit - consequently - which counts the two companies among its main clients, plummeted nearly 16%, bringing the price to EUR6.90.
JPMorgan upgraded Buzzi - which closed bearishly down 2.4% - raising its recommendation to "overweight" from "neutral" and confirming a price target of EUR58.00, compared to a price of EUR43.38 as of March 18, 2026, following a period of underperformance for the stock, which has recorded a 17% decline since the beginning of the year.
UniCredit, meanwhile, shed 2.9%. The Gae Aulenti-based bank announced on Thursday that, together with ING, it has structured a EUR375 million mini-perm project financing for Retelit Datacenter. This concerns Retelit's data center hub, which represents Italy's leading interconnection platform with 38 data centers, including the Avalon Campus in Milan.
On the Mid-Cap, BFF Bank gained 3.3%. Notably, Citadel Advisors increased its short position on the stock to 1.36% from 1.24%, while Two Sigma Investments increased its short to 0.90% from 0.81%.
Technogym - up 2.1% - announced on Thursday that it closed 2025 with an adjusted net profit of EUR119.9 million, up 33% from EUR90.2 million in 2024. The proposed dividend is EUR0.38 per share, an increase from EUR0.30 the previous year. It should be noted that in 2025, the total dividend distributed was EUR0.80, but part of that - EUR0.50 - was an extraordinary component. Therefore, the proposed dividend for the 2025 financial year represents a year-on-year increase.
The board of directors of Arnoldo Mondadori Editore - down 0.7% - approved the accounts as of December 31, closing the year with a net profit of EUR54 million, down from EUR60.2 million in 2024. The board proposed a dividend distribution of EUR0.154 per share for a total of approximately EUR40 million, up 10% compared to 2024.
d'Amico International Shipping - down 7.4% - announced on Thursday that d'Amico International has completed the sale of 6.2 million shares held in d'Amico International Shipping, representing approximately 5% of its share capital, at a price of EUR6.50 per share, for a total value of EUR40.3 million.
The transaction was carried out through an accelerated bookbuilding procedure reserved for certain institutional investors.
On the Small-Cap, Italian Sea Group closed with a 27% gain. The board on Thursday approved the full-year accounts, which closed with a net profit of EUR30.4 million compared to EUR32.4 million. The board also proposed a dividend of EUR0.20 per share, unchanged from last year.
Datalogic - bullish with a 15% gain - announced on Thursday that it closed 2025 with a profit of EUR7.7 million, down from EUR13.7 million in 2024. The board will also propose a dividend of EUR0.12, stable compared to the previous year. 2025 revenues amounted to EUR500.1 million, up from EUR493.8 million the year before.
Trevi Finanziaria Industriale shed 8.8% to EUR0.47 per share. The stock - which has not paid a dividend since 2015 - closed its sixth consecutive session with a bearish candle.
The board of directors of B&C Speakers - down nearly 11% - on Thursday approved the draft financial statements as of December 31, closing with a total group profit of EUR9.6 million, down from EUR18.2 million the previous year. The board will propose an ordinary dividend of EUR0.7 per share. The pay-out ratio rises to 86% of the year's profit. Last year, the dividend was EUR1.0.
Among SMEs, ESI advanced 5.8% to EUR1.28, marking its second bullish session.
Elsa Solutions gained 4.1%, following a 3.2% rise in the previous session.
Circle - down 1.0% - announced on Thursday that its subsidiary eXyond has presented a digitalization and automation project for the gates of an intermodal hub in Northern Italy, valued at over EUR300,000.
Erredue, meanwhile, shed 3.7% after a flat session the previous day, with a final price around EUR7.85 per share.
In New York on Thursday, the Dow Jones closed down 0.4%, the S&P 500 fell 0.3%, while the Nasdaq lost 0.3%.
Among Asian markets, with the Japanese stock exchange closed for a national holiday, the Shanghai Composite is down 1.1%, while the Hang Seng is shedding 1.2%.
On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.1564 from USD1.1525 on Thursday evening, while the pound is trading at USD1.3406 from USD1.3360 yesterday evening.
Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD107.89 per barrel from USD110.09 per barrel yesterday, while gold is worth USD4,665.52 per ounce from USD4,581.27 per ounce yesterday evening.
Regarding Friday's economic calendar, Italy's trade balance is expected at 1000 CET.
From the U.S., the Baker Hughes report will be published at 1800 CET, while the COT Report will be released at 2130 CET, as is customary on Fridays.
Among the upcoming results in Piazza Affari, eyes are on those from DHH, DiaSorin, gAIn360, Gambero Rosso, Impianti, Interpump Group, Next Re, OPS Italia, and Telesia.
By Antonio Di Giorgio, Alliance News reporter
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