European markets trade higher; DiaSorin leads the MIB

(Alliance News) - On Thursday, major European markets regained momentum following a session characterized by generally weak trading. On the geopolitical front, chronic uncertainty in the Middle East continues to weigh on sentiment, with mixed signals regarding peace negotiations amid reciprocal attacks between Iran and the US.

On the macroeconomic front, retail sales volume in the Eurozone fell by 0.4% month-on-month in April, following a revised 0.8% increase in March and missing forecasts for a 0.3% decline.

In Italy, despite signs of easing, the construction sector continued to contract in May. Both activity and new orders fell at their fastest pace in three months, though this led to increased job creation and an end to the reduction in purchasing activity.

Specifically, the Italian construction PMI reached 49.4 in May, rising from a more than three-and-a-half-year low of 44.8 in April. The Eurozone construction index rose from 41.7 in April to 43.7 in May, indicating a more moderate, though still marked, contraction.

Consequently, the MIB closed up 0.3% at 50,174.36, the Mid-Cap finished 0.1% higher at 62,083.17, the Small-Cap shed 0.4% to 35,541.84 points, while Italy Growth closed slightly below par at 9,137.61.

In the green, the CAC 40 rose 1.2%, the DAX 40 gained 0.5%, and the FTSE 100 added 0.3%.

On Piazza Affari, Campari, up 0.7%, took a new step in the family succession process involving the group's controlling holding company. Alessandro Garavoglia, 24, and Jacopo Forloni, 36, were appointed directors of Artemisia Management, the general partner of Lagfin, the holding company that owns approximately 51% of Campari's share capital.

STMicroelectronics, down 2.6%, highlighted growth prospects in the low Earth orbit satellite constellation market, a segment evolving from a space industry niche into a global platform for communications and computing power.

Looking to the medium term, the company aims to generate well over EUR3 billion in cumulative revenue from the space business over the 2026-2028 period, confirming its ambition to maintain a leadership position in the new space ecosystem.

Fincantieri, through its subsidiary WASS Submarine Systems, and Magellan Aerospace Corporation signed an agreement to identify and develop areas of industrial cooperation aimed at strengthening Canadian defense sovereignty and enhancing the country's underwater defense capabilities. The stock closed down 0.6%.

Stellantis - with gains of 1.0% - announced that Leapmotor Global achieved record deliveries in May, with 81,569 vehicles distributed, including deliveries in the Chinese domestic market and international markets.

The result, the company explained, marks an 81% year-on-year increase compared to May 2025 and a 14.26% growth compared to April, setting a new monthly all-time high for the brand.

Assicurazioni Generali, which announced the appointment of Luca Cetrano as the group's new Chief Investment Officer, finished 0.3% lower.

Commerzbank's top management reportedly asked Bafin - Germany's federal financial supervisory authority - to investigate possible concerted action between UniCredit - up 0.9% - and certain counterparties involved in derivatives used by the Italian bank as part of its exchange offer for the German group.

Also in the banking sector, Banco BPM - up 0.3% at the bell - decided to exercise its right of early redemption for its 'EUR300 million Callable Subordinated Tier 2 Notes due 29 June 2031', issued in June 2021 and placed with institutional investors.

Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, with a daily decline of 0.3%, concluded the placement of a new 'Senior Preferred Unsecured' bond issue, with a fixed rate and a 3-year maturity - due 2029 - and an early redemption option after 2 years, for an amount of EUR500 million.

DiaSorin, at the top of the index, gained 7.2% to EUR72.10 per share.

On the Mid-Cap, Reply, in the green by 1.5%, and the European Institute of Oncology - IEO - launched a collaboration to develop and train vertical Large Language Models in the oncology field, aiming to integrate technological and clinical expertise to support prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Pirelli, with a daily contraction of 1.4%, stated that the information reported in the note released by Grizzly Research is untrue, reiterating that the allegations made against the group are completely unfounded. The company specified - among other things - that it does not produce tires for military purposes, a fact already known and previously communicated to the relevant Italian authorities.

Acea, up 1.3%, confirmed Fabrizio Palermo as CEO. Barbara Marinali was appointed vice president of the company. Pier Francesco Ragni will serve as the manager responsible for preparing Acea's corporate accounting documents.

On the Small-Cap, Aedes - down 0.3% - approved a transaction of greater significance with a related party. The transaction involves Istituto Ligure Mobiliare, the company's de facto controlling shareholder with a 29.99% stake and management and coordination activities.

Dexelance, with gains of 0.9%, announced the early closure, in the first session, of the stock exchange offer for unexercised option rights related to its capital increase. During today's session on Euronext Milan, all 134,948 unexercised rights were sold.

Tessellis, up 0.7% at the close, initiated the lease agreement for Tiscali Italia's 'telco consumer' and 'web-mail' business units to Smeraldo, a company controlled by Canarbino, as part of the group's restructuring process. The transaction also includes the exclusive licensing of the Tiscali and Linkem brands and provides for a total monthly fee of EUR333,000 for the first year.

On Italy Growth, Officina Stellare - up 5.2% - announced that its subsidiary ThinkQuantum will lead the PIQCS project, developed with the University of Padua for the creation of miniaturized quantum cryptography systems on photonic chips. The five-year project will benefit from EUR4.3 million in funding.

Com.Tel, with gains of 3.6%, approved the acquisition of 52% of A.T.S. Assistance Technical Service for EUR3.9 million and the purchase of the remaining 40% of Novanext, of which it already holds 60%, accelerating the group's growth and consolidation path.

Alantra confirmed its 'buy' recommendation on Expert.ai and a target price of EUR2.3 per share, with a potential upside of 39%, following 2025 results described as solid and in line with the group's strategic transformation path. The stock closed 2.8% higher.

In New York, the Dow is up 1.7%, the Nasdaq is down 0.2%, while the S&P 500 is up 0.2%.

On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.1624 from USD1.1605 on Wednesday evening, while the pound is trading at USD1.3436 from USD1.3434 yesterday evening.

Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD94.91 per barrel from USD97.94 on Wednesday evening, while gold is worth USD4,471.10 an ounce from USD4,441.45 at yesterday's close.

On Friday's economic calendar, UK housing data is expected at 0800 CEST, while French trade balance data arrives at 0845 CEST. At 1100 CEST, retail sales data from Italy, Eurozone GDP, and Eurozone employment data will be released. At 1230 CEST, the focus turns to UK mortgage rate data.

Starting from 1430 CEST, the focus shifts to the US, with reports on unemployment, private sector payrolls, and average monthly wages. Baker Hughes rig count data is expected at 1900 CEST.

On Piazza Affari, results from Compagnia dei Caraibi are expected.

By Michele Cirulli, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to [e-mail]

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