(Alliance News) - Piazza Affari closed in the positive on Thursday on the eve of the long weekend that will see the Milan Stock Exchange closed for the Easter holiday.

"It was a quiet day for stocks ahead of Friday's U.S. nonfarm payrolls and the extended Easter weekend," says Axel Rudolph, senior market analyst at online trading platform IG.

"Friday's employment data will be watched more closely than usual after two U.S. employment reports this week showed an unexpected weakening in the labor market. The worst outcome would be higher wages and weaker jobs numbers, something that could reverse the growing expectation of a Fed pause in May," the IG analyst pointed out.

Thus, the FTSE Mib, closed up 1.3 percent at 27,213.86.

In Europe, London's FTSE 100 closes in the green with 1.0 percent, Paris' CAC 40 up 0.1 percent, and Frankfurt's DAX 40 advances 0.5 percent.

Among the smaller lists the Mid-Cap closes in the green with 0.1 percent to 43,530.16, the Small-Cap ends up 0.4 percent to 29,819.93 while Italy Growth closes in the red with 0.2 percent to 9,394.33.

On the main list in Piazza Affari, UniCredit comes close to topping the list with a 2.8 percent rise--better done only by Enel, which takes home 3.3 percent--after announcing Thursday that through a group company, UniCredit Bank AG, it has entered into an agreement to sell a portfolio, consisting of loans to German corporate and SME companies, to funds managed by LCM Partners.

The portfolio has gross creditworthiness of about EUR240 million.

FinecoBank closes up 2.6 percent after reporting Thursday that net inflows in March were positive EUR1.1 billion, bringing inflows since the beginning of the year to EUR2.7 billion.

Assets under administration totaled EUR1.6 billion and assets under management EUR155 million.

Eurizon Capital SGR, Intesa Sanpaolo's asset management division that closed in the green by 2.1 percent, announced Thursday that it has signed an agreement to take over 55 percent of Gruppo Zaffiro, an Italian company active in social and health care services.

The deal is expected to close during 2023, subject to obtaining approvals from the relevant authorities.

Leonardo also does well, ending up 2.7 percent. The company signed a memorandum of understanding with Siemens Digital Industries, a subsidiary of Siemens, for an integrated offering of advanced cybersecurity solutions for IT/OT technologies dedicated to digital, secure, connected and integrated industrial infrastructures.

Minority bearers include Moncler, trailing with a 1.5 percent drop, CNH Industriale, which loses 1.2 percent, and Iveco Group, down 1.0 percent.

Also hurting were Tenaris and Saipem, which gave 0.3% and ,7%.

On the Mid-Cap, Fincantieri finishes up 1.4 percent. The company announced Thursday that it purchased 3.1 million of its own shares, or about 0.2 percent of its share capital, between March 29 and April 3, 2023.

The shares were purchased at a volume-weighted average price of EUR0.5887 each, net of commissions, for a total value of EUR1.8 million.

The Anima Group's net inflows of assets under management -- in the green by 0.3 percent -- in March 2023 were negative EUR493 million; at the end of March, the group's total assets under management stood at more than EUR182 billion.

"The March result is entirely attributable to the institutional component, which, in line with what has been recorded at the European level, is in a negative phase for inflows, also due to decisions to increase the amount of liquidity held," commented Alessandro Melzi d'Eril, managing director of Anima Holding.

Industrie De Nora ends in the red by 2.%. On the stock, Citadel Advisors cuts short position to 0.43% from 0.75%.

Worse is Webuild, down 2.6 percent.

Aeroporto Guglielmo Marconi Di Bologna closes at a par at EUR8.06 per share. On Wednesday it reported that in March 2023 it recorded 675,925 passengers, up 21% from March 2021 but down 7.5% from the same month in 2019, pre-pandemic.

On the Small-Cap, Eems takes the top spot and rises more than 19%. The stock has gained 18% in the last 30 days, but has lost 55% in the last six months and 69% in the last year.

PLC advances 2.2 percent after announcing Wednesday that it has finalized the closing of the extraordinary transaction to sell 100 percent of the share capital of the Irish-registered company Monsson Operation Ltd and all companies directly and indirectly controlled by it, which constitute the Monsson perimeter, to the Luxembourg-registered company Monsson Sarl.

Netweek's board of directors -- at a parity of EUR0.040 per share -- on Wednesday approved the draft separate and consolidated financial statements as of Dec. 31, 2022, reporting a loss of EUR1.9 million, worsening from a loss of EUR1.7 million in 2021.

Revenues, on the other hand, increased to EUR24.2 million from EUR23.3 million in the previous year.

Among SMEs, Franchetti led the list with a 13 percent rise followed by Bellini Nautica, which closed up 10 percent.

Estrima, which ends in the green by 6.0%, announced Thursday the opening of a new market, Belgium, thanks to a partnership with Amolytics BV, led by Matthew Khouri, an entrepreneur who has been active for many years in the distribution of heavy-machinery for the construction and mining sectors in West Africa, with whom the company Birò Brussels has been established.

The agreement provides for the opening of a new Birò Store, managed by the newly established Belgian-registered company Birò Brussels, dedicated to the sale, distribution and rental of Birò in the Belgian capital.

Medica - flat at EUR22.80 - announced Wednesday that it has signed an investment contract with SIMEST - the company of the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Spa group for the internationalization of Italian companies - aimed at entering the share capital of Medica USA Inc, currently wholly owned by Medica.

SIMEST's EUR1.9 million investment in Medica's international expansion project consists of the acquisition of a 30 percent stake in Medica USA - for an amount of about EUR800,000 - and the signing of an interest-bearing shareholders' loan agreement for the remaining EUR1.1 million or so.

In New York, the Dow is giving up 0.2 percent, the Nasdaq is gaining 0.3 percent, and the S&P 500 is in fractional green.

Among currencies, the euro changes hands at USD1.0924 versus USD1.0922 at Wednesday's close. In contrast, the pound is worth USD1.2450 from USD1.2474 on Wednesday evening.

Among commodities, Brent crude is worth USD85.04 per barrel versus USD84.89 per barrel on Wednesday evening. Gold, meanwhile, trades at USD2,010.84 an ounce from USD2,038.75 an ounce at yesterday's close.

On Tuesday's economic calendar, after the Easter break we start with UK retail sales at 0101 CET, followed at 0330 CET by Chinese inflation.

At 1030 CET the European Sentix index of investor confidence will be released followed by Eurozone retail sales.

At 1200 CET the UK mortgage rate will be released along with the US Small Business Optimism report.

On Tuesday, Neurosoft's results are scheduled to be released on the stock market.

By Chiara Bruschi, Alliance News reporter

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