(Alliance News) - At mid-session on Friday, major European indices corrected their trajectory to post modest gains in a session characterized by caution.
On the macroeconomic front, retail sales in Italy remained flat in April on a monthly basis, according to preliminary estimates published by Istat. This fell short of the 0.2% growth expected by FxStreet and followed a 0.8% increase in March.
Furthermore, the Eurozone economy performed worse than Eurostat had estimated in the first quarter of the year. Euro area gross domestic product decreased by 0.2% in Q1 compared to Q4 2025, following 0.2% growth in the fourth quarter relative to the third. This figure missed the initial Q1 growth estimate of 0.1%.
On an annual basis, Eurozone GDP growth in the first quarter was 0.3%, revised downward from the previously forecast 0.8%. This is significantly lower than the 1.2% annual increase recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025, which was itself revised down from 1.3%.
On Piazza Affari, the MIB continues in the green, up 0.1% at 50,237.14, the Mid-Cap is fractionally lower at 62,077.47 points, the Small-Cap is up 0.3% at 35,651.19, and Italy Growth shows gains of 0.3% at 9,167.35.
In Europe, the CAC 40 is up 0.4%, the DAX 40 gains 0.1%, and the FTSE 100 adds 0.3%.
On Piazza Affari, Terna, up 1.3%, has renewed its EMTN bond issuance program, increasing the maximum aggregate amount to EUR6 billion from EUR4 billion. The company specified that the program received the following ratings: 'A-/A-2' from S&P and '(P) Baa1 /(P) P-2' from Moody's.
Eni shares are down 0.1%. The Strait of Sicily, specifically between the Argo and Cassiopea giants within the G.C1.Ag concession held by Eni (60%) and Energean (40%), has been enriched by a new gas field. Named Gemini, it is estimated to provide 1.2 billion cubic meters over eight years, or 150 million annually, representing 5% of national stock.
Commerzbank is attempting to curb participation in UniCredit's exchange offer (Ops) - with the latter down 0.5% - but remains open to dialogue. Speaking at a Goldman Sachs event, CEO Bettina Orlopp said she was ready for a friendly agreement 'if it is the best thing for the company'. Meanwhile, the German group revealed the list of institutions that have accepted the offer, representing 7.85% of the share capital.
Maintaining strong momentum are Amplifon, up 4.0% at EUR10.95, Inwit, up 3.5% at EUR6.735, and Saipem, gaining 4.1% to EUR4.508 per share.
Still at the bottom is STM, which extended its negative performance by 4.2% to EUR63.98 per share.
On the Mid-Cap, Sanlorenzo's green rally stalled, though it remains up 1.1%. Geopolitics is slowing down green fuels, leading Chairman Perotti to challenge the EU: 'The technology is there, but the infrastructure is lacking. We need a law to untax methanol', he stated in an interview.
JPMorgan confirmed its 'overweight' recommendation on Pirelli & C with a price target of EUR7.20, following the publication of allegations by an independent online outlet regarding the group's activities in Russia. Pirelli shares are up 0.3%.
Buying interest is seen in ERG, which rose 7.0%, and PharmaNutra, up 2.2%.
On the Small-Cap, doValue - down 0.5% - is bringing Italian securitizations into the token era. Together with Weltix, a regulated infrastructure for private assets, the company has launched a strategic collaboration to apply DLT - Distributed Ledger Technology - to securitization operations, transforming traditional bonds into digital assets.
Trevi Finanziaria Industriale, down 3.6%, announced that Consob has approved the prospectus for Trevifin's rights issue of up to EUR100 million. The company's board of directors set the offer price at EUR2.00 per new share - of which EUR1.95 is share premium - a value that incorporates a 34.94% discount to the theoretical price.
Bastogi, up 0.9%, announced a governance reorganization following the resignation of Andrea Raschi as CEO and board member. The decision follows Raschi's appointment as CEO of the subsidiary Brioschi.
On Italy Growth, Ecomembrane - up 1.5% - reported that its 55%-owned subsidiary SBS Solar received an order worth approximately EUR1.0 million under a framework agreement announced in 2024 with a major energy operator.
Mare Engineering Group, up 2.1%, received new strategic orders in the Aerospace & Defense sector with a total value of nearly EUR1.1 million. The orders were acquired 'from major national and international industrial operators in the Aerospace & Defense sector', the note read.
AATech, up 0.5%, finalized the agreement to integrate CrescItalia into its ecosystem. The deal, announced on May 8, involves shareholders representing 80.05% of CrescItalia's capital, including Andrea Arcangeli, Mattia Donadeo Spada, and the supervised Confidi entities ConfidiSystema! and Confeserfidi, selling their stakes for a total of EUR800,491 to Renable Group Srl, an AATech-backed company specializing in complex turnaround and industrial value creation.
Espe, in the green by 2.4%, signed a new EUR15.2 million contract with 'a leading independent renewable energy producer active in the development and management of proprietary energy assets'.
Monnalisa jumped 19% after announcing the signing of a 5-year licensing agreement with Dondup for the exclusive worldwide development, production, and distribution of the brand's kidswear line.
In New York, the Dow closed up 1.7% at 51,561.93, the Nasdaq fell 0.1% to 26,830.96, while the S&P 500 gained 0.4% to 7,584.31 points.
In Asia, the Nikkei fell 1.3% to 66,618, the Hang Seng traded down 1.2% at 24,961.95, while the Shanghai Composite ended 0.7% lower at 4,027.74.
On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.1618 from USD1.1624 on Thursday evening, while the pound is at USD1.3463 from USD1.3436 yesterday evening.
Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD94.65 per barrel from USD94.91 on Thursday evening, while gold is valued at USD4,442.24 per ounce from USD4,463.10 at yesterday's close.
On Friday's economic calendar, at 1230 CEST, the focus is on UK mortgage rate data.
Starting at 1430 CEST, attention shifts to the US with reports on unemployment, private sector payrolls, and average monthly wages. Baker Hughes data on the number of US drilling rigs is expected at 1900 CEST.
By Michele Cirulli, Alliance News reporter
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