Europeans mixed; down oil stocks on Mib.

(Alliance News) - Major European stock exchanges on Monday open mixed, with the Mib up and other Old Continent indexes slightly down, while Brent crude, on a bearish trajectory, moves around USD86.00 putting pressure on oil stocks in Piazza Affari.

Thus, the FTSE Mib opens up 0.2 percent at 28,342.78.

In Europe, London's FTSE 100 is in the red by 0.3 percent, Paris' CAC 40 gives up 0.2 percent, while Frankfurt's DAX 40 rises with 0.1 percent.

The Mid-Cap is in the fractional red at 41,886.27, as is the Small-Cap at 26,867.10 while Italy Growth opens up 0.1% at 8,915.75.

On the main index in Piazza Affari, banks come out on top with BPER Banca doing best of all in the green by 2.0 percent. Banco BPM follows, up 1.6 percent. MPS, on the other hand, rises with 1.2%.

Telecom Italia rises with 1.4% as talks between the KKR fund and the Treasury to buy Netco intensified. As Francesco Bonazzi explains in Alliance News, "the important date in the handling of the dossier, until yesterday, was September 30, by which the KKR fund must submit its binding offer for the Telecom network. An offer ranging from EUR21 billion to EUR23 billion in value, depending on how certain assets shape up. But now all the spotlight is on the next meeting of the Council of Ministers, scheduled for August 28, when government work resumes after the summer break.

"Indiscretions not denied by the executive speak of a four-way agreement between the Ministry of Economy, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (which has 10 percent of Telecom Italia), F2i and KKR. A formal step in Palazzo Chigi is obviously needed to make the Treasury's entry into the field official. Also at the end of August, in parallel, the U.S. fund is expected to sign credit lines with a pool of 10 banks - some of which are also TIM's creditors - for about EUR10.5 billion," the Alliance News columnist points out.

Iveco Group ends at the bottom, down 0.9 percent.

Oil stocks also do badly: Eni gives up 0.5 percent, Tenaris loses 0.5 percent, and Saipem is in the red by 0.4 percent, while on the Mid Saras retreats with 0.3 percent.

On the Mid-Cap, Juventus rises with 0.3 percent. Juventus on Friday confirmed that it has reached an agreement with Genoa Cricket and Football Club Spa for the free temporary transfer, until June 30, 2024, of the right to the sports performance of footballer Koni De Winter.

The agreement, reads the club's note, provides for the obligation on the part of Genoa to permanently acquire the player's sports performance upon the achievement of certain sporting objectives during the 2023/2024 season and the right on the part of Genoa to permanently acquire the player's sports performance if those objectives are not achieved.

The agreed consideration for the outright acquisition, in both cases, is EUR8 million.

Anima Holding gives up 0.3 percent after announcing Friday that it has purchased 529,281 of its own shares.

The shares were taken over at an average price of EUR3.7621 for a total of nearly EUR2.0 million.

On the Small-Cap segment, Autostrade Meridionali rises 3.0 percent after posting minus 6.2 percent Friday evening, the subject of profit taking after two sessions in which it accumulated assets of more than 16 percent. The company made it known Friday that, with reference to the recent stock market performance of its stock, it is not aware of any elements that could justify the upward changes that have occurred in the stock market since the end of July.

Servizi Italia rises 5.2 percent after reporting Thursday that it closed the first half of the year with revenues and profits up from the same period last year.

The company's revenues increased to EUR143.8 million from EUR134.0 million in the first half of 2022. Revenues from washroom services-which in absolute terms accounted for 74.9 percent of the group's revenues-increased to EUR107.7 million from EUR101.8 million in the first six months of 2022, supported by robust growth in washroom Italy.

Among SMBs, Iervolino & Lady Bacardi opens 15% higher after closing ahead with nearly 12% up for the fourth consecutive session.

Comal is still not trading. The company announced Friday that it has notified Integrae SIM that it is exercising its right to terminate its Euronext Growth Advisor and specialist contracts.

The Euronext Growth Advisor assignment was given to Banca Profilo and will be effective Sept. 11. Integrae SIM will serve in that role until Sept. 10.

Ecosuntek is still not pricing. The company closed down 0.3 percent after announcing Wednesday in the evening that Eco Trade, a 63.4 percent subsidiary, signed two preliminary agreements on July 31 involving the purchase of the stakes held in + Energia Spa by Paolo Marinangeli for a 17.90 percent stake and by Soni Mar Srl for a 26.875 percent stake for a total stake of about 45 percent. The purchase involves a total price of about EUR21.3 million to be paid at the closing, expected by the end of October 2023. On Wednesday, a sum of just under EUR1.3 million was paid as a down payment.

In New York on Friday, the Dow closed up 0.3 percent at 35,281.40, the Nasdaq fell 0.7 percent to 13,644.85 while the S&P 500 gave up 0.1 percent to 4,464.05.

In Asia, the Nikkei lost 1.3 percent to 32,059.91, the Shanghai Composite closed in the red 0.3 percent to 3,178.43 and the Hang Seng gave up 1.8 percent to 18,725.97.

Among currencies, the euro changed hands at USD1.0947 versus USD1.0955 in Friday's European equities close while the pound was worth USD1.2690 from USD1.2696 on Friday evening.

Among commodities, Brent crude is worth USD86.00 per barrel versus USD86.73 per barrel at Friday night's close. Gold, on the other hand, trades at USD1,912.44 an ounce from USD1,913.89 an ounce Friday night.

Monday's U.S. economic calendar features an auction of 3- and 6-month Treasury bonds in the evening.

On the corporate calendar, no events are scheduled.

By Chiara Bruschi, Alliance News reporter

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