US futures are slightly higher, with the spotlight in the coming days on results from Alphabet and Amazon. Meanwhile, due to the government shutdown, employment data initially scheduled for Friday has been postponed indefinitely.
Around 12:45 p.m., the FTSE Mib is up 0.9% with trading volumes at approximately 1.4 billion euros.
Among the standout stocks:
** The banking index is up 1.6%, outperforming the European average. Among Italian banks, UNICREDIT and BPER are particularly strong, rising 2.2% and 1.9% respectively, closely followed by INTESA SANPAOLO. GENERALI is also gaining, up 1.3%.
* DIASORIN advances 1.7%. The company announced it has submitted a request to the US FDA for authorization and a 'CLIA waiver' for its Group A Streptococcus molecular test, intended for use in its diagnostic system.
** RECORDATI climbs 1.5% after Kepler Cheuvreaux upgraded its rating to 'buy' from 'hold' citing an "attractive valuation" ahead of the annual results release.
** MFE drops (-2.7%) following results from its German subsidiary ProSiebenSat.1, which fell short of expectations due to a challenging advertising environment in Germany, according to several analysts who also highlight a positive trend in debt management.
** AMPLIFON slumps about 5% in the wake of a sharp drop in rival Demant's shares after disappointing forecasts for 2026.
** DE NORA plunges 10% after a note this morning from Kepler Cheuvreux warned of a "challenging" 2026 ahead.
** BFF continues to slide (down 2.5%) after yesterday's plunge, triggered by an unexpected cut to its 2026 targets and a leadership change, following the decision to implement drastic derisking measures. "The company now needs to deliver results and shareholder returns that can restore credibility with investors after two extremely disappointing years, marked by a ban on dividend distribution and a lack of profitability," Intermonte wrote in a note.
(Claudia Cristoferi, editing by Andrea Mandalà)
