(Alliance News) - On Thursday, European stock exchanges close the session in the green after the ECB announced in the early afternoon that it was raising borrowing costs for the tenth consecutive time but said the current policy stance is sufficiently restrictive to bring inflation back towards target, suggesting that interest rates will be kept unchanged for some time.

Thus, with the 25 basis point increase announced, the interest rate on the main refinancing operations and the interest rates on the marginal lending facility and deposits with the central bank will be raised to 4.50 percent, 4.75 percent and 4.00 percent, respectively, effective Sept. 20.

Thus, the FTSE Mib closes up 1.4 percent to 28,872.73, the Mid-Cap advances 0.1 percent to 41,135.47, the Small-Cap is in the green 0.3 percent to 26,738.18, while Italy Growth is in the red 0.2 percent to 8,652.46.

In Europe, Paris' CAC 40 closes up 1.2 percent, Frankfurt's DAX 40 in the green by 1.0 percent, while London's FTSE 100 ends up 2.0 percent.

In Piazza Affari, boost on the energy sector with Enel at the top advancing 3.2%, A2A in the green by 3.0% and Hera up 2.4%.

Iveco Group - in the green by 1.4 percent - announced Wednesday that Anna Tanganelli - formerly of Iren - will take over as chief financial officer effective Dec. 1, succeeding Francesco Tanzi who served as CFO during Iveco Group's spin-off and its first year and a half as an independent company.

Among the bearish minority, Stellantis ends on the bottom down 1.1 percent, along with Telecom Italia, which gives up 1.0 percent, and Pirelli & C, down 0.6 percent. Leonardo is also bad, down 0.3%.

On the Mid-Cap, Iren closes on top with a 3.5% rise. On Wednesday it announced that Giovanni Gazza will be the company's new chief financial officer as of Dec. 1.

Webuild - in the red by 0.8 percent - on Thursday reported growth in Australia, the group's first non-domestic market, with EUR7.3 billion worth of orders acquired and being finalized in the country in the first eight months of 2023, bringing the group's portfolio of work in Australia to EUR13.3 billion.

On this basis, Webuild reaches EUR21 billion worth of orders acquired and being finalized in the first eight months of 2023, pushing the group's work portfolio to a potential of more than EUR68 billion.

El.En. gives up 2.2 percent after announcing Tuesday evening that, as of June 30, it reported consolidated revenue of EUR345.6 million up 6.0 percent from EUR326.9 million as of June 30, 2022. Group net income was EUR25.8 million down 9.3% from EUR28.4 million in the first half of 2022.

Maire Tecnimont -- down 4.1 percent at the bottom -- announced Tuesday that its board of directors approved the issuance of a fixed-rate, unrated Senior Unsecured Sustainability-Linked Non-Convertible Bond for a minimum of EUR120 million and a maximum of EUR200 million.

Sesa ends in the green by 0.5 percent. It reported Thursday that in the first quarter ended July 31 it reported adjusted group net income of EUR26.5 million from EUR23.8 million in the same period last year.

On the Small-Cap, Orsero closed up 5.8 percent after reporting that in the first half of the year it reported adjusted net income of EUR33.4 million, up 57& from EUR32.4 million reported in the same period in 2022.

Mondo TV - in the red by 1.0 percent - disclosed that it closed the first half of the year with a net loss attributable to the group of about EUR1.2 million compared to a profit of about EUR4.3 million in the first half of 2022, and compared to a loss of about EUR69 million as of December 31, 2022.

The value of production is about EUR4.6 million, down 76 percent from EUR19.1 million in the first half of 2022 mainly as a result of lower sales already planned in the new business plan and the exit of Mondo TV Studios from the scope.

The board of directors of Caleffi -- in the red by 3.6 percent -- on Wednesday announced that the company in the first half of the year reported a profit of EUR200,000 from EUR700,000 related to the same period in 2022.

As of June 30, turnover stood at EUR27.1 million from EUR25.3 million a year earlier.

Fine Foods & Pharmaceuticals closed in the green by 0.1 percent, reported Wednesday that it reported a loss of EUR1.7 million as of June 30, an improvement from a loss of EUR6.0 million in the first half of 2022.

Among SMEs, Monnalisa - in the red by 3.7 percent - announced Thursday that it had signed a five-year multichannel licensing agreement with La Martina, an iconic international brand linked to the world of Argentine and British polo.

Franchetti--down 3.1 percent--reported a first-half net profit of EUR171,268 from EUR148,690 in the same period last year.

Sales revenue as of June 30 amounted to EUR2.2 million from EUR1.4 million, up 55% a year earlier.

In New York at the height of trading, the Dow Jones advances 0.8 percent, the S&P is up 0.7 percent while the Nasdaq rises 0.8 percent.

Among currencies, the euro changes hands at USD1.0661 versus USD1.0743 in Wednesday's European equities close, while the pound is worth USD1.2410 from USD1.2499 on Wednesdayevening.

Among commodities, Brent crude is worth USD92.42 per barrel versus USD92.14 per barrel at Wednesday's close. Gold, meanwhile, trades at USD1,906.82 an ounce from USD1,935.05 an ounce on Wednesday evening.

On Friday's economic calendar, at 0400 CEST, data on industrial production, retail sales and the unemployment rate are expected from China.

At 0800 CEST, Germany's wholesale price index will come out and at 0845 the French CPI.

From Italy, at 1000 CEST the inflation figure is expected and at 1100 CEST the trade balance.

At 1100 CEST the Eurozone trade balance and the labor cost index will also come out.

In the afternoon, in the U.S. at 1430 CEST the import and export price indexes will come out and at 1515 CEST the industrial and manufacturing production data. At 1600 CEST the Michigan Confidence Index and the Michigan 5-year inflation forecast will follow.

At Piazza Affari, the half-yearly reports of Beewize, BF and Fidia are scheduled.

By Chiara Bruschi, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to redazione@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News IS Italian Service Ltd. All rights reserved.