(Alliance News) - At the start of the week and the month, major stock exchanges are moving in a mixed fashion, albeit showing signs of weakness, as key players in the Middle East conflict consider a further 60-day ceasefire proposal.

On the macroeconomic front, the Italian manufacturing sector recorded its strongest growth in over four years in May, driven by efforts to build safety stocks, as reported by S&P Global on Monday.

Italy's manufacturing PMI rose to 52.9 points in May from 52.1 in April, reaching its highest level since April 2022 and remaining firmly above the 50.0-point threshold that separates contraction from expansion in sector activity.

The MIB opened in fractional green at 50,057.94, the Mid-Cap gained 0.2% to 62,340.21, the Small-Cap saw buying interest of 1.0% at 36,195.73, and Italy Growth shed 0.1% to 9,093.30.

The CAC 40 is in fractional green at 8,185.66 points, the DAX 40 is up 0.1%, and the FTSE 100 recorded a decrease of 0.2%.

On the blue-chip index, Saipem and Prysmian took the lead with gains of 2.2% to EUR4.209 and 1.8% to EUR150.70 per share, respectively.

Stellantis, down 0.4%, confirmed its intention to maintain all 14 of its brands, despite recurring speculation about divestments. New CEO Antonio Filosa reaffirmed the strategy outlined in the 2030 plan, which aims to streamline the portfolio by assigning precise industrial and investment priorities. Among the brands that have suffered from less attention in recent years are Lancia and Alfa Romeo, penalized by a limited range and modest investment.

Leonardo, down 0.9%, announced that the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs has ordered two C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft under the SAFE instrument, with the aim of strengthening national emergency response, civil protection, and humanitarian support capabilities.

Moody's announced that it has upgraded the financial strength rating of Assicurazioni Generali - down 0.1% - to 'A1' from 'A2', confirming a stable outlook. The upgrade brings the group's rating to four notches above the Italian sovereign rating, set at 'Baa2' with a stable outlook, and reflects, according to the agency, the company's strong competitive position, high geographic and business diversification, and limited exposure to insurance product risk.

Similarly, on Friday evening, Moody's Ratings upgraded the Insurer Financial Strength Rating of Unipol, down 0.8%, to 'A3' from 'Baa1', maintaining a stable outlook. Simultaneously, the agency raised all debt ratings associated with the group by one notch, including the Restricted Tier 1 security, which now reaches investment grade status.

Closing the list are Avio, down 4.0% at EUR41.35 per share, and Nexi, down 2.3% at EUR3.431 per share.

On the Mid-Cap, Alessandro Rivera is set to take over the executive chairmanship of Acea, the multi-utility 51% controlled by the Municipality of Rome. The stated goal is to transfer the analytical approach already tested in transport to the management of water and electricity resources, using data to monitor consumption, networks, and leaks. Acea, with gains of 0.4%, aims to consolidate its identity as a regulated infrastructure.

LU-VE, which gained 2.8%, continues to benefit from growing demand related to artificial intelligence and data centers, a market that analysts consider among the group's main growth drivers. The company is involved in projects for major tech operators and has reportedly signed an agreement with a US hyperscaler, kept confidential but associated with names like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google.

PharmaNutra, down 0.7%, continues its international expansion path supported by business growth and the performance of its stock, which has risen 70% over the last year and 53% over the last six months. The group has strengthened its presence abroad and is looking at new acquisitions, while preparing the launch of four new products within the next twelve months.

Brembo, with a 0.4% decline, is transforming the traditional braking system into a platform based on software, sensors, electronics, and artificial intelligence. Executive Chairman Matteo Tiraboschi pointed to Sensify, the new intelligent braking system developed by the group, as one of the most concrete examples of this evolution, emphasizing how the technology can significantly reduce stopping distances and help avoid accidents.

On the Small-Cap, Hydra Investimenti, a company wholly owned by Hydra, announced on Friday a voluntary total tender offer for Datalogic shares, up 34%, aimed at delisting the group from Euronext STAR Milan.

The offer concerns up to 14.7 million shares, equal to 25% of the share capital, representing all the securities not already held by Hydra, which controls 64.85% of the capital and approximately 79% of the voting rights, excluding the 5.9 million treasury shares held by Datalogic, equal to 10% of the capital.

Trevi Finanziaria Industriale, up 0.4%, announced that Polaris Capital Management has signed an irrevocable commitment regarding the rights issue of up to EUR100 million, including any share premium, resolved by the board of directors on May 22 in execution of the mandate approved by the extraordinary shareholders' meeting on May 13.

EPH, with gains of 3.1%, announced that RONA Limited Company has fully subscribed and paid for the EUR7.5 million capital increase approved by the extraordinary meeting on April 28, thus completing the company's capital strengthening operation. Following the transaction, RONA will hold a stake of approximately 80% of EPH's share capital.

The shareholders' meeting of Triboo, down 2.3%, in addition to approving the 2025 financial statements, appointed the board of directors. The new board, which will remain in office until the approval of the financial statements as of December 31, 2026, will consist of Riccardo Maria Monti, Giulio Corno, Ramona Corti, Dania Ferrari, and Cristina Mollis.

Tessellis, up 6.9%, announced that the Court of Cagliari has given the green light to the lease of certain business branches. This involves the valuation of Tiscali Italia's B2C business branch and the 'Tiscali' and 'Linkem' brands. Canarbino has proposed an expansion of the scope of the operation to include the business branch related to Tiscali Italia's 'web-mail' activity, including the stakes held by Tiscali Italia Spa in Veesible.

Among SMEs, H-Farm - which gained 17% - closed the first half of the 2025-2026 financial year on February 28 with a loss of EUR2.2 million, an improvement compared to the loss of EUR5.2 million recorded in the first half of 2024-2025. The consolidated management value of production was EUR11.8 million compared to EUR20.9 million in the first half of 2024-2025.

Casta Diva Group, down 0.3%, closed 2025 with a net profit of EUR710,000, down from EUR975,000 in 2024. The profit attributable to the group stood at EUR618,000 compared to EUR938,000 in the previous year.

Aton Green Storage, down 2.2%, closed 2025 with a loss of EUR12.3 million compared to the loss of EUR5.9 million recorded in 2024. The result before taxes was negative by EUR12.1 million compared to a negative EUR6.0 million in the previous year.

Mondo TV France, with a contraction of 15%, closed 2025 with a net loss of EUR976,000, an improvement compared to the loss of EUR3.8 million recorded in 2024. Revenue from sales and services decreased to EUR884,000 from EUR2.0 million in 2024. The decline is mainly attributed to lower deliveries of animated series compared to the previous year, when the Grisu series was completed and delivered to RAI and ZDF.

In New York on Friday evening, the Dow gained 0.7%, while the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 both advanced 0.2%.

In Asia, the Nikkei closed in the green by 0.9%, the Hang Seng rose 0.8%, while the Shanghai Composite ended down 0.3%.

On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.1656 from USD1.1684 on Friday evening, while the pound is trading at USD1.3461 from USD1.3438 on Friday evening.

Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD94.16 per barrel from USD90.74 on Friday evening, while gold is worth USD4,493.82 an ounce from USD4,478.41 at Friday's close.

On Monday's economic calendar, Spanish registration data is due at 1300 CEST. The US manufacturing PMI is scheduled for 1600 CEST.

No major corporate announcements are expected.

By Michele Cirulli, Alliance News reporter

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