(Alliance News) - Piazza Affari moved above parity, mid-day Tuesday, after the release of Istat data that showed industrial production declined on a monthly basis in January but increased on an annual basis.

Compared to December, Italian industry output thus fell 0.7 percent after rising 1.6 percent the previous month.

On a year-on-year basis, however, Italian industry output rose 1.4 percent in January after rising 0.1 percent in December.

The FTSE Mib, therefore, is in the green by 0.1 percent at 26,218.72. Among the smaller lists, the Mid-Cap is up 0.1 percent to 42,310.43, the Small-Cap is just below par at 29,678.82, and Italy Growth is in the green 0.4 percent to 9,303.75.

In Europe, Paris' CAC 40 is in fractional green, London's FTSE 100 is giving up 0.3 percent and Frankfurt's DAX 40 is in the green by 0.5 percent.

On the main list in Piazza Affari, the worst performer is Saipem down 3.2 percent, albeit in the company of banks that are still struggling. Banco BPM, FinecoBank and BPER Banca give up between 2.8% and 2.3%. Banca Generali and UniCredit also hurt, down 1.1 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively.

Intesa Sanpaolo -- in the red by 0.3 percent -- reported that it purchased -- in the period from March 6 to March 10 -- a total of 80.9 million shares or about 0.4 percent of its share capital.

The average purchase price per share amounted to EUR2.5290, for a total value of about EUR204.7 million.

Mediobanca - up with 1.3 percent - on Tuesday successfully concluded the placement of a Senior Preferred Bond with a 5-year maturity - March 2028 - and a call option provided after 4 years for a total amount of EUR750 million.

The Senior Preferred Bond, priced at a level of 4.865 percent, corresponding to MS+137bps, registered orders of more than EUR1.75 billion during the placement.

Italgas, on the other hand, gathers 1.5 percent after announcing on Tuesday that it has entered into exclusive negotiations with the Veolia Environnement SA group for the potential acquisition of the Veolia group's holdings in a number of companies active in water service in the regions of Lazio, Campania and Sicily.

The planned transaction is part of the broader strategy outlined in the 2022-2028 strategic plan, which calls for the group to strengthen its presence in the water sector.

Assicurazioni Generali remains on top with 2.3 percent after presenting accounts Tuesday. Gross premiums increased to EUR81.54 billion or 1.5 percent in 2022 from EUR72.83 billion a year earlier. The non-life segment alone recorded a 9.8 percent increase in premiums to EUR28.64 billion.

CNH Industrial gives up 0.6 percent. The company announced Monday that it has acquired Augmenta with the aim of accelerating the development of its innovative Sense & Act technology.

Previously, Augmenta was an investment of CNH Industrial Ventures and a strategic partner of CNH Industrial.

Augmenta will operate within the Raven brand by integrating into the precision technology portfolio.

On the Mid-Cap, MFE-MediaForEurope--A shares trade in the green by 0.9 percent and B shares are in the red by 0.5 percent--reported Tuesday that it has signed five agreements to take over shares in Mediaset España Comunicación SA from as many shareholders.

In detail, MFE will take over 3.3 million shares of MES -- equal to 1.1 percent of the latter's share capital -- from Vivendi, for EUR10.7 million; and 1.5 million shares, equal to 0.5 percent of MES's capital, from Burren Global Arbitrage UCITS Fund, Burren Global Arbitrage Master Fund, Sinclair Capital Fund RAIF Sinclair Capital M&A Opportunities and Prelude Opportunity Fund LP, for EUR4.8 million. MFE will take over the shares at a 4.0 percent discount to the liquidation price related to the termination right.

Sesa is the best performer with a 4.9 percent rise, strong on results released yesterday. In the first nine months to January 31, it reported adjusted net income in the period of EUR76.5 million from EUR62.2 million in the same period a year earlier and up 23%.

Revenues amounted to EUR2.17 billion from EUR1.75 billion as of Jan. 31, 2022, an increase of 24 percent

Tod's, on the other hand, after opening among the best now gives up 1.4 percent. In its financial statements for the year ended Dec. 31, 2022, it reported a consolidated profit of EUR23.1 million and compares with a loss of EUR5.9 million in 2021.

In the fiscal year, Tod's group's consolidated sales amounted to EUR1.00 billion, up 14 percent from FY20212 and about 10 percent higher than the 2019 figure.

De' Longhi is flat at EUR22.54 per share after reporting Monday that it ended 2022 with net income nearly halved from the previous year, to EUR177.4 million from EUR311.1 million.

Revenues fell 2.0 percent year-on-year to EUR3.16 billion from EUR3.22 billion, with the net industrial margin falling to EUR1.49 billion from EUR1.60 billion.

Maire Tecnimont advances 0.3%. The company announced Monday that it has signed a new EUR150 million loan agreement, 80% of the amount of which is backed by a guarantee granted by SACE Spa, in order to further strengthen the group's financial structure.

The loan will be provided by a pool of leading Italian banks consisting of Banco BPM Spa, MPS Capital Services and Intesa Sanpaolo.

On the Small-Cap, Eurotech rises 1.1 percent after announcing Tuesday that the deposits of its U.S. subsidiary Eurotech Inc. with Silicon Valley Bank -- amounting to USD8.3 million -- will be transferred to the new "bridge" bank Silicon Valley Bridge Bank.

The "bridge" bank was established by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation with the intent of fully safeguarding SVB's current account holders.

Valsoia is in the green by 1.0 percent after approving its FY2022 results, which closed with a net profit for the period of nearly EUR8.0 million, up from the previous year by 8.3 percent, when it amounted to EUR7.3 million.

This stands at 7.9 percent of revenues compared to 8.1 percent for the same period in 2021.

The board proposes that the shareholders' meeting allocate about EUR3.9 million to the extraordinary reserve, and a dividend of EUR0.38 per share.

At the top is Centrale del Latte Italia, up 8.1 percent while ePrice ends at the bottom, down 5.2 percent.

Among SMEs, Racing Force gives up 0.4 percent after announcing Tuesday the start of plans to expand the group's headquarters in Ronco Scrivia, in the metropolitan city of Genoa.

The work, with completion scheduled for 2024, will allow Racing Force Group to increase production and logistics storage capacity to serve its customers and subsidiaries in Bahrain and the US. The total floor area of the building will increase from the current 8,000 square meters to about 12,000, a 50 percent growth, and the work will proceed without interruption to regular operations.

FOS is down 1.4 percent after announcing that it has approved the merger of Fos Greentech Srl into Technology and Groupware Srl, both wholly owned subsidiaries of the company.

The merger is part of the group's corporate redefinition process, already begun in 2020 with the incorporation of subsidiary Sesmat, aimed at simplifying its structure and better exploiting its operational, administrative and corporate synergies.

High Quality Food rises with 2.7 percent. The board approved the draft operating and consolidated financial statements for the year ended Dec. 31, 2022, with a profit of EUR367,000 compared to the annual result of minus EUR1.0 million as of Dec. 31, 2021.

In New York on European night, the Dow closed down 0.3 percent, the Nasdaq up 0.5 percent while the S&P 500 contracted 0.2 percent.

Among currencies, the euro changed hands at USD1.0708 versus USD1.073 at Monday's close. In contrast, the pound is worth USD1.2164 from USD1.2155 on Monday evening.

Among commodities, Brent crude is worth USD78.92 per barrel versus USD81.06 per barrel on Monday evening. Gold, on the other hand, trades at USD1,904.51 an ounce from USD1,906.38 an ounce at Monday's close.

On Tuesday's economic calendar, at 1330 CET from the US comes inflation, at 2130 CET weekly oil stocks, and at 2220 CET, FOMC member Bowman's speech.

By Chiara Bruschi, Alliance News reporter

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