(Alliance News) - Friday mid-day European stock markets continue to follow a bullish trajectory, with the Mib doing best of all supported by the boost of some banking stocks.

All eyes now are on the release of the September U.S. employment report, as we await further clues on the Fed's next moves. Investors also welcomed a better-than-expected increase in German factory orders in August, while a stabilization in the bond market briefly relieved traders.

As a result, the FTSE Mib is up 0.9 percent to 27,749.19, the Mid-Cap is up 0.5 percent to 39,059.29, the Small-Cap is advancing 0.3 percent to 25,218.07, and Italy Growth is advancing 0.1 percent to 8,098.08.

In Europe, London's FTSE 100 advances with 0.3 percent, Paris' CAC 40 is in the green by 0.5 percent and Frankfurt's DAX 40 is up 0.7 percent.

Among the morning macros, of note, retail sales in Italy fell 0.4% on a monthly basis in August after rising 0.4% in July. On an annual basis, sales rose 2.4 percent after increasing 2.8 percent the previous month. The July figure was revised up from the initial 2.7 percent increase.

On the main list of the Italian Stock Exchange, banking stocks did well with BPER Banca, UniCredit, Banco BPM, and Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena doing best of all and picking up between 4.0% and 2.3%.

Enel advances 0.5 percent after announcing Thursday that it has approved the launch of a share buyback program for up to 4.2 million shares.

The potential outlay associated with the execution of the program is estimated at about EUR23.3 million.

Italgas gives up 0.5 percent and ends up at the bottom of the list, after announcing Thursday that it has completed the corporate simplification related to its operational presence in Greece.

In fact, the merger by incorporation into DEDA - Public Gas Distribution Company SA - of EDA Thess and EDA Attikis, companies of Italgas Group's Depa Infrastructure group, was completed.

Saipem advances 0.5 percent after announcing Thursday that it has signed - in consortium with National Petroleum Construction Company - a Letter of Award with ADNOC for a new contract for package 1 of the Hail and Ghasha Development Project in the United Arab Emirates.

The value of Saipem's share is approximately USD4.1 billion.

FinecoBank is confirmed up 0.6 percent after closing down 2.0 percent. It reported Thursday that net inflows for September were EUR446.7 million, down from EUR514.5 million in the same month a year earlier.

On the Mid-Cap, Maire Tecnimont does best of all with a rise of 7.8 percent after reporting that Tecnimont, part of the Integrated E&C Solutions business unit, signed a letter of award with ADNOC on Thursday for the onshore treatment plant at the Hail and Ghasha project.

The total value of the EPC contract is approximately USD8.7 billion and the project is scheduled for completion during 2028.

Anima Holding rises 0.8 percent. The company reported that the group's net inflows of assets under management in September were negative EUR271 million.

At the end of September, total assets under management of the Anima group stood at about EUR184 billion.

On the small-cap side, bullish Greenthesis, which rose 9.1 percent. The company reported Thursday, Sept. 21, that it achieved net revenues of EUR85.3 million in the first half of the year, up from EUR82.3 million in the first half of 2022.

Net income rises 2.6 percent to EUR8.6 million from EUR8.4 million in the same period last year.

Aeroporto Guglielmo Marconi Di Bologna rises with 0.5 percent. It reported Thursday that it recorded about 1 million passengers in September, a record figure and the third busiest month in the airport's history.

algoWatt gives up 1.2 percent after reporting that it has been awarded a EUR255,000 grant for digital energy solution provider & system integrator activities on the ResilMesh project, funded under the Horizon Europe program.

In the ambitious context of holistic protection of critical infrastructures, the ResilMesh project will develop a set of innovative tools for the realization of a Security Orchestration and Analytics Platform Architecture - SOAPA founded on the concept of cybesecurity awareness to improve the resilience of digital infrastructures through the achievement of several objectives.

Real Estate Large Distribution SIIQ advances 0.2 percent. The company announced that it has resolved to issue a EUR400.0 million senior unsubordinated and nonconvertible bond.

In addition, the board decided to initiate an exchange offer of the bond issue maturing in November 2024 and an offer to repurchase the existing bonds for a cash amount on the condition that a certain amount from the repurchase is reinvested in the purchase of new bonds.

Bioera gives up 2.8 percent but the stock has been suspended. On Thursday the company learned from outside sources that it is the recipient of a petition for judicial liquidation undertaken by the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Milan.

Bioera informs in this regard "that it has appointed the lawyer Fabio Cesare of the firm McM avvocati in Milan to assist it in view of the next hearing - set for November 2 - to contest the groundlessness of the initiative," the company explained in a note.

Among SMEs, Renergetica is in the green by 1.1 percent. On Thursday, it announced that all members of the company's board of directors and board of statutory auditors have irrevocably resigned, effective as of the date on which the shareholders' meeting will be held to provide replacements.

The resignations were tendered in light of the fact that on August 4, Exacto Spa, on the one hand, and CVA Eos Srl, on the other, signed a contract for the sale by Exacto in favor of CVA Eos of a stake representing 60% of Renergetica's share capital and in view of the prospective change in Renergetica's shareholding structure that would occur in the event of the execution of the aforementioned acquisition transaction.

Casta Diva Group is confirmed to be up 2.6 percent as at the opening, after announcing Thursday that the board of directors reviewed the value of production figure as of September 30, which came in at EUR71 million, up 28 percent from the same period last year, when it was EUR56 million.

In the third quarter, in particular, production value increased 49 percent over the same period in 2022, to EUR21 million versus EUR14 million, thanks to continued strong demand for events that CDG is able to tap into.

Almawave, still not trading after closing up 2.6 percent. The company reported Thursday that its subsidiary SisTer won the COMESA - Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa tender to enhance the Africa Information Highway public data platform, which the African Development Bank makes available to all African countries and regional and subregional organizations.

Spindox rises with 3.0 percent. PMI announced the formal admission of the WICO - Water Quality Innovative Control by Artificial Intelligence - project by the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy to funding under the PNRR.

Together with Archa, lead partner, CNR, Acque and Dielectrik, Spindox will develop an intelligent platform for monitoring water for human consumption. The system will target the Lower Valdarno aqueduct, which serves more than 800,000 citizens.

The total investment of the five partners is EUR5.9 million, which is matched by a total facility of EUR2.8 million, of which EUR1.1 million or so will be grant funding for Spindox.

In New York on European night, the Dow closed fractionally in the red at 33,119.57, the Nasdaq gives up 0.1 percent to 13,219.83, and the S&P 500 is 0.1 percent in the red at 4,258.19.

Among currencies, the euro changes hands at USD1.0552 against USD1.0519 recorded at Thursday's European equities close while the pound is worth USD1.2203 from USD1.2150 on Thursday evening.

Among commodities, Brent crude is worth USD84.00 per barrel from USD85.74 per barrel at Thursday's close. Gold, on the other hand, trades at USD1,820.43 an ounce from USD1,819.87 an ounce on Thursday evening.

Friday afternoon's macroeconomic calendar features private sector employment data from the U.S. at 1430 CEST, while Baker Hughes drilling rig data will arrive at 1900 CEST.

By Chiara Bruschi, Alliance News reporter

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