Mib Hits Two-Week Highs; Auto and Defense Lead Gains

(Alliance News) - The Mib is trading higher, surpassing the 43,600-point mark and reaching its highest level in the past two weeks, outperforming most European indices. The market sentiment remains clearly risk-on, with the majority of stocks in positive territory and Stellantis taking the lead among blue chips.

On the data front, the latest PMI indicates robust expansion in Italy's private sector, reaching its highest level since April 2023. The services sector, in particular, is experiencing its strongest growth in two and a half years.

The Mib opened up 0.6% at 43,623.65 points.

Among the smaller indices, the Mid-Cap is up 0.4% at 58,487.13, the Small-Cap rises 0.2% to 35,949.54, while the Italy Growth index is down 0.1% at 8,483.64 points.

Elsewhere in Europe, the FTSE 100 is down 0.2%, the CAC 40 slips fractionally, while the DAX 40 moves up by 0.2%.

In Milan, Stellantis continues its upward trend, jumping 7.7% to EUR9.83 per share after a 1.0% decline the previous day. The company is accelerating its U.S. relaunch, which has become central to the group once again. As reported by Milano Finanza on Wednesday, the Chrysler Tech Center in Auburn Hills is filling up after years of remote work, with around 2,000 hires underway in engineering, quality, product development, and manufacturing.

Saipem is also performing well, up 2.5% after Tuesday's bearish candle with a 3.7% drop.

Leonardo--its defense segment sensitive to international tensions--gains 0.9%, following a 0.6% rise the previous day. Geopolitical tensions are intensifying after the failure of Russia and the U.S. to reach an agreement on the Ukraine issue, despite a five-hour meeting at the Kremlin between envoys of Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Among the decliners, Italgas falls 1.9%, marking its third consecutive bearish session if confirmed at close.

Moncler drops 1.3% after a 0.5% gain in the previous session.

In the Mid-Cap segment, Zignago Vetro rises 3.4% after two bearish sessions, trading around EUR7.38 per share.

d'Amico shows strength, posting a 5.4% gain after two consecutive bearish sessions.

doValue--up 4.9%--announced on Wednesday a new strategic agreement with Banco Santander SA for managing new NPL flows in Spain, effective January 1, 2026. The agreement replaces the previous contract expiring in December this year and ensures a stable, predictable flow of new mandates.

NewPrinces advances 0.6%. Following Monday's completed acquisition, the company is targeting 2028 to integrate Carrefour Italia and aims to create a group with over EUR8 billion in revenue by 2030. According to Il Sole 24 Ore on Wednesday, the new player--Italy's second largest in food & beverage--will have EBITDA above EUR550 million and a margin over 7%, with positive liquidity, as shown by Carrefour Italia Finance's EUR435.7 million balance.

The plan includes rebranding--possibly reviving the GS brand--reducing hypermarkets, investing in retail outlets, and direct acquisition of properties.

On the Small-Cap index, Trevi Finanziaria Industriale rises 5.3%, heading for its eighth consecutive bullish session.

Centrale del Latte d'Italia advances 2.7% to EUR5.75 per share, marking a new 52-week high.

Pininfarina also sees good trading activity, pushing the price up 1.7% to EUR0.81 after a 2.0% decline the previous day.

Gefran, on the other hand, falls 1.7% after three bullish sessions, trading at EUR11.30 per share.

Among SMEs, Edil San Felice rises 4.4% after a flat session the previous day, trading around EUR5.22 per share. On Wednesday, the company unveiled HERO - Humanoid for Enhanced Road Operations, the first patented humanoid specifically designed for safe operations at road construction sites.

Developed in collaboration with the University of Naples Federico II and NOTOS Group, HERO stems from an initial EUR600,000 investment and offers a technological solution aimed at reducing workers' exposure to risks during the most delicate phases of setting up and managing construction sites.

Emma Villas--flat at EUR1.57--reported on Tuesday its booking data from January 1 to December 2 and for the 2025-2026 winter season. Weeks booked for the entire year exceed 7,650, for a gross value of about EUR36 million, up 1.5% from EUR35.5 million in 2024. The average weekly price rose to EUR4,713 from EUR4,550 in 2024. Emma Villas manages over 600 exclusive properties.

Omer--up 4.2%--announced Wednesday it has started operations for a new order from Alstom Group to supply fairings for Avelia Stream high-speed trains, which Alstom will provide to a leading Italian operator. The order includes fairings for 12 trains, with an option for an additional 18. Deliveries will begin in the fourth quarter of this year and conclude by the end of 2027, with significant execution during 2026 and 2027.

Esautomotion, however, drops 2.6%, heading for its fourth consecutive bearish session.

In New York last night, the Dow Jones gained 0.4%, the Nasdaq closed up 0.6%, and the S&P 500 rose 0.3%.

In currency markets, the euro trades at USD1.1655, up from USD1.1606 at Tuesday's equity close, while the pound is at USD1.3279 from USD1.3195 last night.

Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD63.20 a barrel from USD63.28 at yesterday's close, while gold is valued at USD4,199.10 an ounce from USD4,178.74 an ounce last night.

On Wednesday's economic calendar, a speech by Christine Lagarde is scheduled at 14:30 CET, with another intervention at 16:30 CET.

In between, starting at 16:00 CET, U.S. labor market data will be released.

By Maurizio Carta, Alliance News Reporter

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