(Alliance News) - On Tuesday, with the exception of London, major European markets returned to positive territory following a decline in the previous session. News from the Middle East, though conflicting regarding specific incidents, continues to paint a picture of significant unease and tension.

On the macro front, the Eurozone economy recorded a moderate but widespread recovery in 2025, growing by 1.4% despite a complex global environment. This was reported by Luis de Guindos of the European Central Bank, who noted that 'growth was initially supported by exports, partly due to front-running trade ahead of US tariffs,' while subsequently 'domestic demand offset adverse external factors,' bolstered by a robust labor market and falling inflation.

Furthermore, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the bloc is 'ready for any scenario' after US President Donald Trump threatened to increase tariffs on European automobiles.

In this context, the MIB closed up 2.3% at 48,557.50, the Mid-Cap gained 0.9% to 58,030.53, the Small-Cap rose 0.4% to 34,625.98, and Italy Growth ended with a fractional increase at 8,870.96 points.

Performance across other European exchanges was mixed: the CAC 40 gained 1.1% and the DAX 40 rose 1.7%, while the FTSE 100 fell 1.4% to 10,219.77 points.

Axel Rudolph of IG observed: 'In the UK, car sales increased at their fastest pace since 2019, yet the FTSE 100 failed to join Tuesday's rally, instead falling by over 1.5%, weighed down by the financial, real estate, and utilities sectors.'

Furthermore, 'HSBC shares plummeted 6% following a surprise USD400 million 'fraud-related' charge linked to the collapse of MFS, dragging down other banks and insurers such as Lloyds, Legal & General, and Standard Chartered,' the analyst added.

'Rising borrowing costs for UK 30-year gilts, which reached their highest level since 1998 due to surging oil prices and political instability, also weighed on sentiment,' Axel Rudolph concluded.

On Piazza Affari, Italgas - up 1.9% - closed the first quarter of 2026 with an adjusted net profit attributable to the group of EUR189.4 million, a 43% increase compared to EUR132.6 million in the same period of 2025.

Banco BPM, up 1.3%, ended the first quarter of 2026 with a net profit of EUR480 million, up 15% from the previous quarter and 7% above market consensus, in line with its strategic plan targets.

UniCredit, gaining 5.9%, secured a total position in Commerzbank AG of 35.5%, according to the exchange offer prospectus. As the current exchange ratio of 0.485 shares is at a discount, the derivatives strategy ensures UniCredit maintains control over the takeover: once the 30% threshold is crossed, the institution will be able to purchase additional shares on the market without restrictions, consolidating its stake in the German bank.

UniCredit's first-quarter results highlighted strong profitability growth, with net profit reaching EUR3.22 billion, up 16% from EUR2.77 billion a year earlier. During the period, total revenues stood at EUR6.87 billion, up 4.9% year-on-year from EUR6.56 billion, while net revenues reached EUR6.7 billion, a 3.3% increase.

In an interview with Bloomberg published Tuesday, Prysmian CEO Massimo Battaini stated that the company is ready to move on the market with M&A transactions totaling EUR4.00 billion. The stock finished at the top of the basket, surging 10% to EUR139.60.

Ferrari, at the bottom of the list with a 4.0% sell-off, closed the first quarter with a net profit of EUR413 million, essentially stable compared to EUR412 million in the same period of 2025, while diluted earnings per share rose to EUR2.33 from EUR2.30, up 1.0%.

A2A, up 0.5%, is evaluating the Bioenerys dossier and is preparing to submit a bid for the company that consolidates the biogas and biomethane activities of Snam, which rose 0.6%.

On the Mid-Cap, Brembo led the list with gains of 5.7% at EUR8.435 alongside LU-VE, up 5.9%, while Carel Industries, which hit a 52-week high, gained 4.4%.

NewPrinces, following a EUR10 million buyback, saw shares drop 12% to EUR15.57.

Among small caps, doValue, down 3.6%, announced the completion of its first sale of re-performing loans in Greece to institutional credit investors. The portfolio, consisting of approximately 3,400 loans involving around 1,800 primary debtors with a gross value of approximately EUR230 million, was originally included in the Cairo securitization and achieved re-performing status through active management by doValue Greece as servicer.

Edison - flat at EUR2.19 - received an update from QatarEnergy regarding the ongoing force majeure related to LNG supplies destined for the Adriatic LNG terminal.

TXT e-solutions - down 1.5% - signed an agreement to acquire 100% of NetMediaClick Srl, a MarTech company active in performance marketing and retail media, thereby strengthening its Smart Solutions division and expanding its domestic market presence.

Dexelance - up 3.9% - approved a paid capital increase of up to EUR50 million, accompanied by a further increase of up to EUR20 million to service warrants with a three-year maturity.

Among SMEs, Kruso Kapital - up 3.5% - closed the quarter with a net profit of EUR2.6 million, up 35% compared to EUR1.9 million in the same period of 2025.

Impianti - which shed 0.2% - was awarded a four-year contract worth EUR1.6 million for the supply of various solutions and next-generation audio-video setups for educational use, both in-person and remote, for a leading university.

Intred, up 0.6%, announced that first-quarter total revenues reached EUR14.2 million compared to EUR13.9 million in the first three months of 2025, a 2.0% increase. Core revenues, excluding School Tenders, grew by 6.8%.

In New York, the Dow Jones is up 0.6%, the Nasdaq is in the green by 1.0%, while the S&P 500 is up 0.8%.

On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.1706 from USD1.1699 on Monday evening, while the pound is trading at USD1.3564 from USD1.3538 the previous night.

Among commodities, Brent crude is trading at USD110.44 per barrel from USD114.22 on Monday evening, while gold is valued at USD4,578.16 per ounce from USD4,532.40 yesterday evening.

On Wednesday's economic calendar, French industrial production data is expected at 0845 CEST, while services and composite PMIs for Spain, Italy, France, Germany, the Eurozone, and the UK will be released between 0915 CEST and 1030 CEST. At 1000 CEST, Italian retail sales data will arrive, followed an hour later by Eurozone producer prices.

At 1200 CEST, the focus shifts to US mortgage data.

Among Piazza Affari companies, results are expected from Ariston Holding, Banca Generali, BPER Banca, Campari, Fineco, Nexi, Poste Italiane, and Telecom Italia, among others.

By Michele Cirulli, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to redazione@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2026 Alliance News IS Italian Service Ltd. All rights reserved.