Stock markets in green with little momentum; banks down on Mib.

(Alliance News) - On Monday, major European stock markets confirmed expectations and opened in positive territory, while U.S. ones will remain closed today for Martin Luther King Day. One eye today will also be on the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Thus, the FTSE Mib is in fractional green at 30,478.30, the Mid-Cap gains 0.1 percent to 44,410.15, as does the Small-Cap at 28,033.45, while Italy Growth is in fractional green at 8,260.52.

In Europe, Paris' CAC 40 is in the green by 0.1 percent, as is London's FTSE 100, while Frankfurt's DAX 40 is up 0.2 percent.

In macroeconomic news, the People's Bank of China launched a total of CNY995 billion through a one-year medium-term lending facility to the banking system and kept the interest rate unchanged at 2.50% on Monday.

With CNY779 billion of MLF loans maturing this month, the operation resulted in a net injection of CNY216 billion of fresh funds into the banking system, after pumping the largest amount of CNY800 billion in the previous month.

In Germany, wholesale prices in Germany fell 2.6 percent year-on-year in December, slowing from the previous month's 3.6 percent drop, data from the Federal Statistical Office showed Monday.

This was the ninth consecutive period of decline, but the smallest pace since May.

On the Mib, Saipem sits on the bottom giving up 2.0%, after it reported that the Algerian Supreme Court ruled in the criminal case initiated in December 2022 against the company in connection with its participation in a 2008 tender for competitive FEED studies related to the Rhourde Nouss QH project, upholding the company's acquittal.

Nanoco Group PLC on Friday said it signed a statement of work with "significant" joint development activities with STMicroelectronics, in the green by 0.1 percent.

Nanoco is a developer and manufacturer based in Runcorn, England, of cadmium-free quantum dots and other nanomaterials, while STMIcroelectronics is a semiconductor manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland, and listed on the FTSE Mib in the Italian Stock Exchange.

Stellantis--in the red by 0.6 percent--reported Friday that its venture capital fund, Stellantis Ventures, announced its stake as a strategic investor in Tiamat, a French company that develops and commercializes sodium-ion battery technology.

Banks fare poorly at the start, with Banco BPM, BPER Banca, and Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena giving up between 1.8 percent and 1.3 percent.

Banca Generali bucks the trend and rises 0.4 percent. The company reported Thursday that it posted inflows of EUR834 million in December, bringing the full-year figure to EUR5.86 billion, up 3 percent year-on-year.

December also saw a consolidated recovery in managed and insurance solutions compared to previous months, with EUR256 million in new flows. At the product level, financial containers collected EUR131 million in the month -- and EUR699 million in the year --, confirming themselves as the solution that best meets the needs of private clients in terms of diversification and customization offered.

On the Mid-Cap, PharmaNutra's board of directors -- down 1.0 percent -- on Thursday approved the group's preliminary sales figures for FY2023, reporting consolidated net revenues of EUR100.2 million, up 21 percent from full-year 2022, when they were EUR82.7 million. Revenues in the Italy market increased 15 percent to EUR68 million from EUR59.2 million in 2022, while abroad grew 37 percent to EUR32.2 million from EUR23.5 million in 2022.

Credem - down 1.0 percent - announced Thursday evening that it had issued a new bond issue, aimed at institutional and professional investors, in the amount of EUR500 million. The issue, in the "Social Covered Bond" format, will go to support social sustainability activities and highlights the group's commitment to ESG.

Reply -- down 0.3 percent -- reported Friday that its subsidiary Storm Reply, a company specializing in cloud computing services, has built an IoT cloud solution for Eurogate, a renowned container terminal company, to collect and analyze operational data from machinery and systems in the cloud.

On Small-Cap, Banca Sistema gives up 0.8 percent after reporting Friday that it has consolidated its Factoring business and filed 2023 with volumes up 26 percent year-on-year, for an amount of loans purchased that exceeded EUR5.5 billion.

The bank thus confirms its leadership position in Factoring supporting companies supplying the Public Administration; in 2023, the client portfolio continued to grow reaching over 160 new clients, with a progressive and positive diversification both in the type of business and in the size of companies and deals concluded.

doValue - in the red by 3.7 percent - announced that it has approved a new consolidated interim report as of September 30, prepared in accordance with international accounting standards applicable to interim financial reporting in IAS 34.

In detail, net revenues of EUR304.6 million were reported for the first nine months of the year from EUR380.0 million in the same period last year.

The period ended with a loss of EUR25.7 million from a profit of EUR39.2 million. Ebitda including nonrecurring items amounted to EUR115.3 million from EUR151.9 million in the first nine months of 2022.

Unieuro -- up 4.2 percent -- announced Friday that it had approved results for the first nine months of the year 2023-2024 ended Nov. 30, which reported revenues of EUR1.92 billion from EUR2.04 billion in the same period a year earlier.

Among SMEs, Omer trades in the green by 8.7 percent after announcing Monday that it has signed a contract with Hitachi Rail to supply furniture components and fairings for 40 Frecciarossa ETR 1000 trains commissioned by Trenitalia.

The value of the contract, the amount of which was not disclosed, "will contribute to the backlog in a percentage within a range of 15 to 20 percent," the company specified in a note.

Circle -- in the red by 1.5 percent -- on Monday disclosed that it has been awarded a new project financed by FILSE under the 2021-2027 ERDF regional program.

The 18-month project will receive a total grant of about EUR770,000, of which about EUR190,000 will accrue to the company.

Pozzi Milano rises about 11 percent. The company on Monday announced that it has renewed an agreement with a well-known Mexican retail chain, for an order of tableware products, worth about USD1.2 million-about EUR1.1 million.

In Asia, the Nikkei closed up 0.9 percent at 35,901.79, the Hang Seng was in the red 0.2 percent at 16,216.33, and the Shanghai Composite finished up 0.2 percent at 2,886.29.

In New York, which remains closed today for Martin Luther King Day, the Dow closed in the red 0.3 percent to 37,592.98 on Friday, the Nasdaq finished fractionally in the green at 14,972.76 while the S&P 500 closed just above par at 4,783.83.

Among currencies, the euro changed hands at USD1.0958 against USD1.0962 recorded at Friday's European stock close, while the pound was worth USD1.2752 from USD1.2747 last night.

Brent crude is worth USD78.30 per barrel versus USD78.66 per barrel at Friday's close. Gold, on the other hand, trades at USD2,061.00 an ounce from USD2,052.10 an ounce Friday night.

Monday's economic calendar calls for the Italian trade balance at 1000 CET.

At the same time, Germany's annual GDP is expected while at 1100 CET from the Eurozone industrial production and trade balance are expected.

In the afternoon, at 1430 CET from Canada, motor vehicle sales and wholesale sales will be released while at 1455 CET French BTF auctions are expected.

In Piazza Affari, no particular announcements are expected.

By Claudia Cavaliere, Alliance News reporter

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