(Alliance News) - Major European markets closed higher on Wednesday, with the exception of the DAX 40, which slipped by 0.5%.
The Mib surpassed the 47,000-point threshold during the session, though it later gave up part of its gains as trading progressed.
On the eve of the European Central Bank meeting, investors expect interest rates to remain unchanged.
Domestically, Istat reported Wednesday that January prices showed a 1.0% year-on-year change, slightly down from December's 1.2% but in line with estimates. Meanwhile, annual inflation in the euro area fell to 1.7% year-on-year in January, down from 2.0% in December and matching market expectations, marking the lowest level since September 2024.
As a result, the Mib ended up 0.5% at 46,636.43 points, the Mid-Cap rose 0.1% to 60,031.66, the Small-Cap gained 0.1% to 36,702.93, while Italy Growth slipped 0.4% to 8,729.10 points.
The CAC 40 and FTSE 100 also posted gains, up 1.0% and 1.1% respectively.
In Milan, the market welcomed Lovaglio's plan, betting on the delisting of Mediobanca on the day of the parent company Monte dei Paschi's assembly. Luigi Lovaglio's plan, promised to investors and shareholders during the OPS, envisaged EUR700 million in synergies, the merger of MPS and Mediobanca, and the delisting of the bank founded by Enrico Cuccia.
MPS shares rose 1.2%, while Mediobanca soared 5.8%.
The Canadian government is preparing a claim for hundreds of millions of dollars against Stellantis and General Motors, accusing them of scaling back production in the country despite receiving public incentives: Stellantis shares gained 3.5% to EUR8.662 per share.
Eni and Q8 Italia are resuming their collaboration on a strategic investment to build a new biorefinery in Priolo, Sicily. The biorefinery will have a capacity of 500,000 tons per year and will be able to produce Hvo-diesel or Saf-biojet. Construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2028. Eni gained 1.4% on the day.
Leonardo – down 4.7% – signed an MoU with the Indonesian Ministry of Defense and PT ESystem Solutions to supply the M-346 F "Block 20" to the Indonesian Air Force. The agreement, announced at the Singapore Airshow 2026, supports fleet modernization and includes training, maintenance, and local industrial development.
The defense sector was also weak with Fincantieri, which fell 2.4% to EUR15.59 per share.
UBS said it is "cautiously optimistic" on STMicroelectronics, which rose 3.6%, expressing a 'buy' recommendation. Overall, according to the bank's analysts, "STM will benefit from idiosyncratic growth drivers, such as satellite opportunities and a robust cyclical rebound following a significant inventory reduction in 2025."
On the Mid-Cap, Lane, the US subsidiary of the Webuild group, down 1.7%, won a USD389 million contract – about EUR336 million – for the design and execution of expansion and modernization works on Interstate 64 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
Anima Holding closed 2025 with solid results, supported by positive inflows, increased assets under management, and improving profitability. Consolidated net profit rose to EUR266.7 million, up 16%, while normalized net profit stood at EUR286.5 million, up 4%. The stock responded positively, up 2.0%.
Tinexta, up 0.1%, responded to some press rumors by stating that its subsidiary Tinexta Infocert, as part of the group's external growth policies, is continuously evaluating multiple strategic opportunities.
Tamburi Investment Partners, down 1.2%, increased its stake in ITH, the holding company controlling the Sesa group, from 21.5% to 23.8% – net of treasury shares being cancelled – while Sesa dropped 8.2%.
BFF Bank rebounded to the top with a 14% surge to EUR4.70 per share, as Deutsche Bank Research confirmed its 'hold' recommendation but cut its target price to EUR6.20 from EUR10.50, in light of the bank's recent communications.
Among small caps, Bastogi soared to the top with a 23% jump to EUR0.964 per share after the company announced the sale of its entire share capital in Forumnet Holding to the international group Live Nation. The deal netted EUR62 million, well above expectations.
Aedes closed down 7.6% at EUR0.085 per share, followed by SYS-DAT with a 5.7% drop to EUR5.96 per share.
Italian Exhibition Group saw strong daily buying, up over 11%, after updating its industrial plan, forecasting 2030 revenues between EUR360 million and EUR365 million, adjusted Ebitda between EUR100 million and EUR105 million, net financial position at EUR44 million, and an investment plan of EUR210 million.
On Italy Growth, Cyberoo – up 1.8% – and Cometa announced the signing of a strategic distribution agreement aimed at significantly boosting the presence of Cyberoo solutions in the Italian market.
Adventure, down 8.4%, reported production value between EUR17.0 million and EUR18.5 million in 2025. The growth in production value over 2024 ranges from 56% to 69%. Ebitda for 2025 is expected in a range of EUR2.4 million to EUR2.7 million, with a margin between 13% and 15%.
Powersoft, down 2.8%, appointed Intermonte as its specialist operator, effective March 5. Until then, the company's specialist will be Banca Profilo.
Racing Force closed fiscal 2025 with consolidated revenues of EUR73.1 million, up EUR7.5 million from EUR65.7 million in the previous year, corresponding to an 11% increase. The stock closed up 4.9% at EUR5.14 per share.
In New York, the Dow Jones is up 0.7%, the S&P 500 is down 0.3%, while the Nasdaq tumbled 1.5%.
In currency markets, the euro is trading at USD1.1798 from USD1.1812 at Tuesday's European close, while the pound is trading at USD1.3653 from USD1.3697 last night.
Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD67.46 per barrel from USD67.01 on Tuesday, while gold is valued at USD4,917.87 an ounce, down from USD4,968.16 an ounce last night.
Thursday's macroeconomic calendar opens with German factory orders, due at 0800 CET, 45 minutes ahead of French industrial production data.
At 0930 CET, focus will be on construction PMIs for Italy, Germany, France, and the Eurozone, with the UK reading an hour later. At 1000 CET, attention turns to Italian retail sales, while Eurozone retail sales will follow an hour later.
The highlight of the day will be central banks: the Bank of England's rate decision is expected at 1300 CET, while the European Central Bank's announcement is due at 1415 CET, half an hour before President Christine Lagarde's press conference.
Except for weekly jobless claims at 1430 CET and the Federal Reserve's balance sheet at 2230 CET, the US macro calendar contains no further significant data.
Among companies on Piazza Affari, results are expected from Banco BPM, Credito Emiliano, Enel, FinecoBank, Generalfinance, Kruso Kapital, Piquadro, and Seco.
By Michele Cirulli, Alliance News Reporter
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