(Alliance News) - The Mib is posting a slight gain in Thursday's session, with the index hovering at 43,500 points. Last night, the Federal Reserve delivered its third quarter-point rate cut of this cycle, fully in line with market consensus.

The U.S. monetary authority sent a less hawkish signal than markets had priced in. Nevertheless, the Fed's dot plot remains misaligned, projecting only one additional 25 basis point cut for next year.

At the same time, the Eccles Building announced the launch of a short-term Treasury bill purchase program to bolster market liquidity. Operations will commence on December 12, with the initial tranche set at approximately USD40 billion. This move is crucial for stabilizing reserves and mitigating liquidity risks in the money market.

The Mib is thus up 0.2% at 43,532.12 points.

In Paris, the CAC 40 is up 0.3%, Frankfurt's DAX 40 is just above parity, and London's FTSE 100 is rising by 0.1%.

Among the smaller indices, the Mid-Cap is down 0.3% at 58,165.55, the Small-Cap is up 0.1% at 36,174.08, and Italy Growth is down 0.1% at 8,415.62 points.

On Piazza Affari, Brunello Cucinelli is advancing 3.1% to EUR96.16 per share, following a 0.7% gain in the previous session.

Diasorin is up 2.0% at EUR62.48 per share, after a 0.3% increase on the previous day.

Ferrari continues its upward trend seen at the open, pushing its price up 1.3% to EUR314.40 per share after three bearish sessions.

Stellantis - down 1.6% - and the Italian government have reaffirmed their commitment to working together to strengthen the future of the national automotive industry. At the 2025 Anfia public assembly, CEO Antonio Filosa thanked Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso for his strategic support of the group's plans in Italy. The stock is down 1.8%.

Snam - down 1.1% - announced Thursday it has reached an agreement with Igneo Infrastructure Partners to acquire 48.2% of OLT - Offshore LNG Toscana, thus gaining full control of the company. The total consideration, which also includes the residual portion of shareholder financing provided by Igneo, amounts to approximately EUR126 million. Closing is expected in the first half of 2026, subject to Italian regulatory approvals, including antitrust and golden power.

Leonardo is down 0.5%. The Bangladesh Air Force has signed a letter of intent with the company for the potential purchase of the Eurofighter Typhoon as part of its fleet modernization plan. The number of jets has not yet been determined, but the interim government aims for a significant strengthening of air capabilities. Should the deal materialize, the group led by Roberto Cingolani, as prime contractor, could benefit from an estimated return of USD3 billion, equivalent to around EUR2.6 billion at current exchange rates.

On the Mid-Cap segment, Ariston Holding is up 1.8% at EUR0.5%, following a 0.5% gain in the previous session.

Salvatore Ferragamo is also performing well, rising 0.7% to EUR7.80 per share.

Safilo Group - down 2.4% - announced Wednesday it had bought back 200,000 of its own ordinary shares between December 1 and 5. The shares were purchased at an average unit price of EUR1.8783, for a total value of approximately EUR376,000.

MAIRE - down 2.2% - announced Wednesday it had completed the early full voluntary repayment of its EUR200.0 million bond maturing in October 2028, issued on October 5, 2023. Following the repayment, the related bonds were delisted from markets managed by Borsa Italiana Spa and the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

Banca Ifis falls 1.0%. On Wednesday, it announced it had signed an agreement to acquire the 50% stake held by illimity Bank in Hype, with the transfer going to Banca Sella. The deal, announced to markets on November 3 and formalized on December 9, involves a consideration of EUR85 million and allows Banca Ifis to achieve a capital benefit estimated at around 55 bps on the CET1 ratio.

On the Small-Cap, Beewize is up 10% after two bearish sessions, with the price around EUR0.2740 per share.

Softlab is up 3.7% at EUR1.40 per share, after a 1.5% decline in the previous session.

EPH, on the other hand, drops 5.7% to EUR0.19, after a 1.5% gain on Wednesday that ended a nine-session losing streak.

Class Editori is also losing ground, down 5.1% to EUR0.13 per share.

Among SMEs, Eprcomunicazione rises 5.9% to EUR1.43 per share, following Thursday's 3.6% decline.

Giglio.Com is up 5.5% to EUR0.96 per share, after a flat session the previous day.

Mare Engineering Group - up 0.5% at EUR3.98 - announced an increase in the consideration for its full takeover bid for Eles Spa, raising it to EUR2.65 from EUR2.61 per share, an increase of EUR0.04 or 1.5%. Mare Group explains the adjustment aims to align the price with a competing offer made by a third party in concert with significant shareholders of the issuer, thus focusing shareholders' decisions on the strategic aspects and industrial synergies proposed by the operation.

RedFish LongTerm Capital - flat at EUR1.31 - announced Wednesday it had approved the subscription of additional financing of up to EUR3.5 million with Illimity SGR, in support of subsidiary RFLTC-Polieco Spa. The funds will be used to participate in the capital increase of Industrie Polieco - MPB Spa, raising the subsidiary's stake from 15% to 20%.

In New York, during the European evening, the Dow Jones gained 1.1%, the Nasdaq advanced 0.3%, and the S&P 500 rose 0.7%.

In currency markets, the euro is trading at USD1.1710 from USD1.1648 at Wednesday's equity close, while the pound is trading at USD1.3378 from USD1.3333 last night.

Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD61.35 a barrel from USD61.48 at yesterday's close, while gold is at USD4,218.18 an ounce from USD4,201.38 an ounce last night.

On Thursday's economic calendar, the OPEC monthly report will be released at 1300 CET.

The Federal Reserve's balance sheet is due at 2230 CET.

By Maurizio Carta, Alliance News Reporter

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