(Alliance News) - European stock markets began the first trading session mixed, after closing July on multi-year highs thanks to signs of cooling inflation.
Investors are showing caution, however, as they await key economic data scheduled for release this week, including the U.S. employment report scheduled for Friday, which could offer further insight into the Federal Reserve's policy tightening path.
Among the economic data, Japan's au Jibun Bank manufacturing purchasing managers' index released Tuesday dropped to 49.6 points in July from 49.8 in June. Sector contraction also registered in China, with the Caixin index falling to 49.2 points in July from 50.5 in June.
Thus, the FTSE Mib rises 0.1 percent to 29,670.17.
Mid-Cap is giving up 0.3 percent to 42,778.97, Small-Cap advances 0.2 percent to 27,234.86, and Italy Growth rises 0.3 percent to 9,101.47.
In Europe, London's FTSE 100 rises 0.1 percent, Paris' CAC 40 gives up 0.1 percent, and Frankfurt's DAX marks minus 0.4 percent.
On the highest-capitalization list in Piazza Affari, A2A rises well with 2.5 percent, bringing its price to EUR1.7795 per share on the heels of eve's 1.9 percent gain.
Leonardo, on the other hand, rises 1.8 percent. The company announced Monday that the Orizzonte Sistemi Navali joint venture - in which Fincantieri and Leonardo hold 51 percent and 49 percent stakes, respectively - has signed a contract with the Naval Armaments Directorate of the General Secretariat of Defense/DNA for the construction of three new-generation patrol vessels, with options for three more units and the necessary infrastructure adjustments for the Augusta, Cagliari and Messina naval bases, where the ships will be based. The total contract value for the first three units is EUR925 million, including related logistics support services.
Telecom Italia, on the other hand, advances 1.8 percent on the eve of the release of its half-year accounts.
Nexi, on the other hand, gives up 3.9%, despite a good half-yearly report. normalized group earnings of EUR295.0 million with normalized earnings per share of EUR0.22, up 8.0% year-on-year. The company reaffirmed its guidance that calls for, among other things, normalized earnings per share with more than 10 percent year-on-year growth.
DiaSorin, on the other hand, contracted 1.2%, subject to profit taking after six bullish sessions.
On the MidCap, Antares does well, advancing 1.1 percent, although still posting a slight loss on the weekly.
Webuild--up 0.7 percent--reported that it purchased 566,787 of its own common shares between July 24 and 28. The shares were taken over at an average unit price of EUR1.7682, for a total value of EUR1.0 million.
Brembo -- in the money with 1.0 percent -- announced Monday that on Tuesday, August 1, the share buyback program approved earlier by the shareholders' meeting, for a maximum of EUR144.0 million and a maximum of 8.0 million ordinary shares, will be started. The program has a duration of 18 months and will therefore end by October 20, 2024.
Saras closes the list, marking a minus 3.4 percent with price at EUR1.25 after numbers released Monday for the first half of the year showed profit falling to EUR122.3 million from EUR292.5 million in the same period last year.
Industrie de Nora also lags behind, in the red by 3.0 percent. The company reported Monday that it posted a net profit of EUR46.7 million in the first half of the year, up 18 percent from EUR39.7 million in the same period a year earlier.
On the SmallCap, boost on d'Amico, which moves ahead 2.4 percent to EUR3.85 per share and bringing the week to a plus 8.5 percent.
Also good is Seri Industrial, which moves ahead 2.2% to EUR4.61 per share.
Sales on SIT, which takes a step back 3.1% closing the listing, while not far behind, in the red by 2.1%, Alkemy depreciates to EUR10.36.
Among SMEs, Eles advances 4.0 percent to EUR1.9550 on the heels of the release of its half-year numbers. Consolidated sales revenues of the Eles group, which take into account the acquisition of CBL Electronics and its investee, amounted to EUR14.6 million, up 44 percent from the same period last year.
Doxee, on the other hand, advances 2.8 percent to EUR7.40 per share. Its Austrian subsidiary Doxee CEE GmbH, which already holds 90 percent of Infinica GmbH, exercised the first tranche - amounting to 5 percent - of its option to purchase the remaining 10 percent of Infinica's share capital that remained with Herbert Liebl, CEO and managing director of the acquired company, for a consideration of about EUR1.1 million.
Circle, on the other hand, gives up 5.3 percent, to EUR5.40 per share. It should be noted that the stock, since the beginning of 2023, marks an asset that goes over 43 percent.
In New York on European night, the Dow Jones closed in the green by 0.3 percent, while the S&P and Nikkei both advanced 0.2 percent.
Among Asian exchanges, the Hang Seng headed toward closing in the red by 0.5 percent, the Shanghai Composite closed flat, while the Nikkei ended the session up 0.9 percent.
Among currencies, the euro changed hands at USD1.0992 versus USD1.1019 in Monday's European equities close while the pound was worth USD1.2826 from USD1.2857 on Monday evening.
Among commodities, Brent crude is worth USD84.95 per barrel versus USD85.53 per barrel at Monday's close. Gold, meanwhile, trades at USD1,956 an ounce from USD1,970.39 an ounce last night.
On Tuesday's macroeconomic calendar, the manufacturing purchasing managers' index from the Eurozone is due at 1000 CEST and from UK at 1030 CEST.
The unemployment figure, on the other hand, comes from Germany at 0955 CEST, at 1000 CEST from Italy while from the Eurozone it will come out at 1100 CEST.
In the afternoon, from the U.S. is the manufacturing purchasing managers' index at 1545 CEST, followed by the ISM index at 1600 CEST.
In Piazza Affari, several results are expected, including those of Banca Mediolanum, FinecoBank, MFE-MediaForEurope and Pininfarina.
By Maurizio Carta, Alliance News senior reporter
Comments and questions to redazione@alliancenews.com
Copyright 2023 Alliance News IS Italian Service Ltd. All rights reserved.
