(Alliance News) - Opening Friday, Piazza Affari is down below 33,200, in line with IG futures forecasts. Without momentum, major European stock markets await Eurozone inflation data.

The FTSE Mib gives up 0.4 percent to 33,120.87 at the start. Among the smaller listings, the Mid-Cap is in fractional red at 46,945.40, the Small-Cap is in the green 0.2% at 27,182.56, and Italy Growth is traveling in the green 0.1% at 7,673.24.

In Europe, London's FTSE 100 gives up 0.1 percent, Paris' CAC 40 is fractional green, and Frankfurt's DAX 40 is in fractional red.

On the macroeconomic front, in Germany, import prices fell 0.8 percent year-on-year in October, less than market expectations of a 1.2 percent drop and following the 1.3 percent drop in the previous month.

Meanwhile, prices rose for consumer goods by 2.1 percent and intermediate goods by 0.2 percent, while they were unchanged for capital goods.

Also in Germany, retail sales fell 1.5 percent monthly in October, after an upwardly revised 1.6 percent increase in September, and much worse than forecasts for a 0.3 percent decline.

In Japan, industrial production rose 3.0 percent monthly in October, accelerating from the previous month's 1.6 percent growth and marking the second consecutive month of expansion, according to preliminary data released Friday by the Tokyo Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

On the highest-capitalization list of Piazza Affari, Banca Monte Paschi di Siena is the best stock among the bullish few at the opening, in the green by 0.8 percent.

Amplifon is doing well, in the green by 0.7 percent. On the stock, Arrowstreet Capital is reported to have filed its short position to 0.49 percent from 0.51 percent.

Interpump Group and Azimut Holding follow, with gains between 0.5% and 0.6%.

Nexi, is in the red by 0.3% after advancing 4.0% last session. According to rumors from Corriere della Sera, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti is looking at acquiring Nexi's national interbank network - RNI -, a 208,000-kilometer-long strategic infrastructure linking credit institutions, the Bank of Italy, central risk and anti-fraud system.

Eni - just above par at EUR13.43 - announced Thursday that it has signed contracts with Côte d'Ivoire's Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy to acquire four new offshore exploration blocks. The signing consolidates Eni's presence in the country and took place in the city of Abidjan.

Leonardo - in the green by 0.3 percent - signed with BF - up 1.2 percent on the Small-Cap - a memorandum of understanding to promote more technological and sustainable agriculture, presented during the XXII International Agriculture Forum, as Il Sole 24 Ore reports Friday

BPER Banca -- in the red by 0.2 percent -- announced Thursday that it intends to repay Banca Carige Spa's bond issue to 2029 early -- a Tier II callable fixed-rate bond with reset.

The repayment will be at par in the amount of EUR200.0 million, plus accrued interest up to the repayment date. Upon completion of the transaction, the bond will be delisted from the DomesticMOT.

At the bottom of the main list accommodated at the opening, Mediobanca and Stellantis, each in the red by 0.4 percent.

Worst stock at the start, Assicurazioni Generali, which gives up 1.4 percent. According to Friday's Il Sole 24 Ore report, the insurance group is continuing negotiations with Natixis for a possible alliance in asset management.

On the Mid-Cap, Digital Value did well at the opening, in the green by 4.0%. The stock has gained 57% in the past month.

Acea - in the green by 0.1% - announced Thursday the award of the tender for the management of integrated water service in the Ato Ovest Provincia di Imperia area, worth an estimated more than EUR1.0 billion. As reported by Il Sole 24 Ore in Thursday's edition, through Acea Molise, a wholly owned subsidiary of the group, Acea will acquire 48% of the newly formed mixed public-private company Rivieracqua, which holds the concession until 2042.

Banco Desio e della Brianza rises 0.7 percent, driven by negotiations to acquire Credito Lombardo Veneto, a Brescia-based institution with two branches in Sarezzo and Bergamo.

On the Small-Cap, Tesmec rises 6.9%, in its third bullish session.

CY4Gate - up 2.3 percent - announced Friday that it has signed contracts worth a total of about EUR1.2 million with leading Italian corporate and institutional clients to acquire solutions in Cyber Security and Forensic Intelligence.

doValue is in the green by 2.7 percent at the start. SIH Partners has trimmed its short position on the stock to 0.79 percent from 0.80 percent.

Among SMEs, still no trade for Soges Group, flat at EUR2.10 per share. The company announced Thursday that its board of directors has approved the implementation of a transaction that includes the acquisition of the entire share capital of Hotel Bretagna Srl and, indirectly, its wholly owned subsidiary Incorsi Srl.

First Capital - flat at EUR15.70 - reported that its subsidiary First SICAF acquired a significant stake in ErreDue, amounting to 6.97 percent of the ordinary shares admitted to trading and 3.2 percent of the share capital.

RedFish LongTerm Capital - flat at EUR1.21 - approved the issuance of the first tranche of the "6% Sustainable Growth 2024-2029" bond, amounting to EUR2.6 million out of a total of EUR15 million. Consisting of 103 bonds with a nominal value of EUR25,000 each, the tranche will be issued on December 2 and mature on December 1, 2029, with gross annual interest of 6 percent, paid monthly. At the same time, the company agreed to a partial repayment of EUR2.5 million of the "TV Eur + 500bps 2022-2025" loan, in an agreement signed on November 28.

Gentili Mosconi gained 0.4 percent at the opening, after it reported Thursday its results for the first nine months of the year, which recorded consolidated revenues of EUR31.2 million, compared to EUR37.0 million in the same period of 2023, showing a 16 percent decline.

Riba Mundo Tecnologia gave up 8.2 percent to EUR10.10, updating the low in the 52-week time frame.

Relatech - down % - announced Thursday that it had purchased the remaining 10.33% stake in the share capital of EFA Automazione Spa from owner Franco Giovanni Andrighetti, for a consideration of EUR4.9 million.

In New York, the U.S. stock exchanges were closed for Thanksgiving Day.

Among Asian exchanges, the Nikkei gave up 0.4 percent, the Shanghai Composite closed in the green by 0.9 percent, and the Hang Seng advanced 0.3 percent.

Among currencies, the euro changed hands at USD1.0568 from USD1.0551 on Thursday in closing European equities. The pound is worth USD1.2708 versus USD1.2678 on Thursday evening.

Among commodities, Brent crude is worth USD72.35 per barrel from USD72.31 per barrel Thursday night. Gold trades at USD2,681.09 an ounce from USD2,664.59 an ounce Thursday night.

Friday's macroeconomic calendar at 0955 CET, from Germany, is the turn of the unemployment rate; at 1000 CET, from Italy, industrial sales data and the consumer price index will be available.

At 1100 CET, it will be the turn of the Eurozone CPI, while at 1200 CET, from Italy, the non-EU trade balance is expected.

It closes at 1431 CET with Canada's GDP.

Among the companies in Piazza Affari, Zucchi will release interim results.

By Antonio Di Giorgio, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to redazione@alliancenews.com

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