Europeans in the red; Brent crude down at USD85 a barrel.

(Alliance News) - The major European indexes, including Piazza Affari, all confirm a downtrend in mid-day Monday.

As a result, the FTSE Mib is in the red 0.4 percent to 28,465.8, the Mid-Cap gives up 0.5 percent to 41,933.53, the Small-Cap is down 0.4 percent to 26,911.20, and Italy Growth is in the fractional red at 8,911.120.

Paris' CAC 40 is giving up 0.4 percent, Frankfurt's DAX 40 is losing 0.5 percent as is London's FTSE 100.

On the macro front, it is reported that the Sentix economic index for the Eurozone is at minus 18.9 points, 3.6 points higher than its July value, thus interrupting its three-month-long decline, the Sentix research center reported on Monday.

However, the current situation assessment remains weak at minus 20.5 points while expectations rise 7.3 points to minus 17.3.

On the Mib, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena remains the best stock of the morning, up 6.3 percent to EUR2.69 per share. On Thursday, the board of directors reviewed results as of June 30, reporting a group profit before tax of EUR615 million, up from the pre-tax profit of EUR44 million reported in the corresponding period of 2022. Net interest income increased to EUR1.08 billion from EUR658.5 million in the first half of 2022.

Leonardo and Banco BPM were also among the few bullish performers, up 2.1 percent and 1.4 percent respectively.

Azimut Holding gives up 0.3% after announcing on Friday that it recorded positive net inflows of EUR513 million in July, reaching EUR4.3 billion since the beginning of the year with a full-year target of EUR6-8 billion.

Banca Generali -- in the red by 0.4 percent -- reported Friday that it achieved net inflows of EUR455 million in July, down from EUR543 million in July 2022.

Since the beginning of the year, total inflows amount to EUR3.72 billion, up 4 percent from the same period last year when it was EUR3.59 billion.

FinecoBank -- down 0.4 percent -- reported Friday that net inflows in July were confirmed at EUR486 million, in line with the estimates announced in the first-half results. Since the beginning of the year, inflows amount to EUR5.7 billion.

Interpump closes the listing down 4.2 percent after closing Friday in the red by 4.7 percent. The board of directors approved the half-year financial report as of June 30, which closed with consolidated net income for the period rose from EUR139.5 million to EUR168.5 million, up 21 percent. Net sales for the first half of 2023 amounted to EUR1.18 billion, up 15 percent from EUR1.02 billion in the corresponding period last year.

On the cadet segment, Datalogic is still the best stock after four bearish sessions -- due to half-year results with a EUR12.1 million profit down from EUR8.8 million recorded in the first half of 2022 -- and remains firmly on top with a 6.3 percent rise.

It is followed by illimity Bank, which, in the black by 1.6 percent, on Friday announced that it had approved results for the first half of the year in which it posted a net profit up 66 percent to EUR52.2 million from EUR31.5 million in the same period a year earlier. Net interest income stood at EUR97.7 million as of June 30 from EUR74.1 million and up 32 percent from 2022.

The board of MARR -- in the red by 3.3 percent -- on Friday approved the half-year financial report as of June 30, which closed with a net profit of EUR18.7 million and compares with EUR10.5 million in the first half of 2022.

The first six months ended with total consolidated revenues at over EUR1.0 billion, up from EUR874.3 million in the same period last year.

Among the worst performers remains Saras, down 3.4 percent. It reported Friday that Urion Holdings (Malta) Ltd sold 6.1 million ordinary shares in the Moratti company.

The shares were sold at an average unit price of EUR1.31, for a total consideration of EUR8.0 million. Of note, three funds moved on the stock on Friday: Citadel Advisors cut its short to 0.75 percent from 0.84 percent; Marshall Wace raised it to 1.54 percent from 1.46 percent; and WorldQuant defined a net short position of 0.55 percent.

On the Small-Cap, Bologna's Aeroporto Guglielmo Marconi -- in the green by 1.0 percent -- reported Friday that it had surpassed a record 1.1 million passengers in July, which improves by nearly 90,000 on the previous one.

The figure also shows a 17 percent increase over July 2019, before the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, and 13 percent over July 2022.

Tesmec -- in the red by 1.2 percent -- said the board of directors reviewed and approved the financial report as of June 30, which closed with a net loss of EUR2.6 million -- generated purely in the first quarter, with a second quarter essentially breakeven -- compared with a profit of EUR7.9 million in the same period last year.

TXT e-solutions -- in the red by 2.4 percent -- reported Thursday that it almost doubled net income in the first half year-on-year to EUR6.8 million from EUR3.5 million in the same period last year.

Among SMEs, Visibilia Editore and SIF Italia are both suspended with theoretical declines of 12 percent, at EUR0.48 and EUR3.14 after the confirmation Sunday evening of the untimely death of Luca Giuseppe Reale Ruffino, who at Visibilia held the role of chairman and CEO, as well as majority shareholder of the company, as well as at SIF, where he was chairman of the board and majority shareholder with 43 percent. Dagospia and Corriere della Sera broke the news, according to which it was suicide.

Ruffino, 60, had been appointed chairman of the board last March.

FOS rises 0.6 percent after reporting Monday that it closed the first half with revenues up 46 percent year-on-year to EUR11.3 million from EUR7.7 million in the same period a year earlier.

Medica - up 1.9 percent - reported Friday that it closed the first half of the year with preliminary consolidated revenues of around EUR33.6 million, up significantly from revenues of EUR20.4 million in the first half of 2022.

Svas Biosana - flat at EUR8.44 per share - reported Friday that it closed the first half with revenues of EUR55.0 million compared to EUR44.5 million in the same period last year.

Masi Agricola - in the red by 1.5 percent - reported Friday that it ended the first half with revenues of EUR33.1 million, down from EUR36.9 million in the same period a year earlier.

In Asia, the Nikkei closed up 0.2 percent at 32,254.56, the Hang Seng closed fractionally in the red at 19,537.92, and the Shanghai Composite ended down 0.6 percent at 3,268.83.

In New York on Friday, the Dow Jones closed in the red by 0.4 percent to 35,065.62, the S&P finished down 0.5 percent to 4,478.03 while the Nasdaq closed down 0.4 percent to 13,909.24.

Among currencies, the euro changed hands at USD1.0971 against USD1.1038 in Friday's European equities close while the pound was worth USD1.2723 from USD1.2781 on Friday evening.

Among commodities, Brent crude is worth USD85.55 per barrel versus USD86.29 per barrel at Friday's close. Gold, on the other hand, trades at USD1,934.70 an ounce from USD1,943.43 an ounce Friday night.

By Chiara Bruschi, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to [e-mail]

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