Futures Bullish; Optimism Grows with US-India Agreements
(Alliance News) – European stock markets are set for a higher open on Tuesday, extending gains for a third consecutive session, as a rebound in metal prices and continued strength in the global technology and artificial intelligence sectors support risk appetite.
Further optimism stemmed from the trade deal between the US and India, which reduces mutual tariffs in exchange for New Delhi’s commitment to halt purchases of Russian oil, as well as expectations for a resumption of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Friday.
Thus, the Mib – after closing trading up 1.1% at 46,005.21 points last night – is marking a gain of 320.00 points in the futures market.
Other markets are also positive, with the CAC 40 up 53.00 points, the DAX 40 advancing 171.8 points, and the FTSE 100 rising by 16.80 points.
Among the smaller indices, on Monday, the Mid-Cap lost 0.5% to 60,458.31, the Small-Cap gained 0.1% to 37,119.93, and Italy Growth showed purchases of 0.2% at 8,793.14 points.
On Piazza Affari, banks led the rally with Monte dei Paschi di Siena rising 3.0%, Banca Mediolanum up 2.3%, and BPER Banca gaining 3.5%.
Intesa Sanpaolo, with net profit up 7.6% to EUR9.3 billion from EUR8.7 billion in 2024, on Monday announced its new 2026-2029 business plan aiming for “zero NPL”, with a strategy focused on increasing fee revenue and creating sustainable value for shareholders and stakeholders.
The plan forecasts net profit above EUR11.5 billion in 2029, up from about EUR9.3 billion expected for 2025, with ROE at 22% and ROTE at 27% at the end of the period. The stock ended trading up 0.2%.
Prysmian – up 0.3% – has signed a contract with the Transmission business of SP Energy Networks and National Grid Electricity Transmission PLC, owners of the UK’s electricity transmission systems, for the Eastern Green Link 4 interconnection project, valued at EUR2.3 billion.
Defense stocks saw declines, with Leonardo and Fincantieri down 0.6% and 0.7%, respectively.
Similarly, oil stocks fell after the announcement of talks between Iran and the US: Snam dropped 0.6%, while Eni slipped fractionally to EUR17.22 per share.
On the Mid-Cap, an analysis by eToro highlights that, in the fitness sector, long-term returns have especially favored business models with strong B2B exposure, such as Technogym, up 1.9%, characterized by more predictable revenues and less reliance on discretionary consumer spending.
Juventus Football Club reached an agreement with OGC Nice for the temporary, free acquisition until June 30, 2026, of the sporting rights to footballer Jérémie Boga: the stock fell by 1.3%.
Evaluation.it showed that Zignago Vetro shares have a risk profile below the market average. The stock, with daily losses of 0.7%, has a beta below 1, an element that, as noted by Guerrini, author of the analysis, reflects good geographic diversification in the business, capable of mitigating the typical cyclicality of the glass packaging sector.
Top purchases included a 4.3% gain for Fiera Milano and a 4.2% rise for MAIRE.
BFF Bank, on the other hand, posted a dramatic 44% drop to EUR4.812 per share. The company announced a comprehensive de-risking program for its factoring portfolio, accompanied by a revision of its 2026 financial targets and the preparation of a new strategic plan, which is expected to be presented in the second half of 2026. In addition, Giuseppe Sica has been appointed as the new general manager.
On the Small-Cap, Pininfarina – up 3.9% – signed a commercial development and production agreement with an automotive manufacturer, for a total value of more than EUR40 million.
Borgosesia completed the early closure of the placement of the second tranche of its bond issue with a 6.30% coupon, with a maximum of EUR65 million, launched on January 22. The stock closed flat at EUR0.56 per share.
EPH signed a strategic agreement with RONA Limited Company and with Société Internationale pour les Systèmes Intelligents et l’Énergie – Tunisia for the development, financing, and construction of a photovoltaic plant in Tunisia. The stock fell by 2.8%.
Beewize closed down 5.3% at EUR0.338 per share along with OPS Retail, which fell 16% to EUR0.032 per share.
Among SMEs, ESI – up 3.9% – signed an additional contract for the revamping of a photovoltaic plant located in the Puglia region, in the province of Brindisi, with a total capacity of about 8 MWp. The order is worth approximately EUR2 million.
Haiki+, with a 12% gain, completed a capital increase operation excluding pre-emptive rights for a maximum amount of EUR3 million, through the issuance of up to 4.5 million new ordinary shares with regular entitlement, reserved for the company’s strategic and industrial partners.
High Quality Food, up 3.0%, has approved the guidelines of its 2026–2029 industrial plan. The plan envisages consolidated revenues at the end of the period of about EUR38 million compared to EUR20 million estimated for 2025, with a 2025–2029 CAGR of 18%.
TMP Group, down 4.6% daily to EUR5.25 per share, secured a new EUR150,000 contract for the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games.
Portobello, after recently being admitted to a company continuity arrangement, rose 15% to EUR1.73 per share.
In New York, during the European evening, the Dow Jones gained 1.0%, the S&P 500 rose 0.5%, while the Nasdaq added 0.6%.
Among Asian markets, the Nikkei closed up 3.9%, the Shanghai Composite marked a 1.3% gain, while the Hang Seng advanced 0.3%.
On the currency front, the euro is trading at USD1.1820 from USD1.1802 at Monday’s European equity close, while the pound is trading at USD1.3691 from USD1.3648 on Monday evening.
Among commodities, Brent is trading at USD65.97 per barrel from USD66.12 per barrel on Monday, while gold is at USD4,884.38 an ounce from USD4,675.45 an ounce on Monday evening.
On Tuesday’s economic calendar, at 0900 CET the European Central Bank’s bank lending survey is expected. In the US, at 1510 CET the consumer economic optimism index will be released, while at 1700 CET Italian car registrations for the year and month will be published.
On Piazza Affari, results are expected from Banca Mediolanum and Intred.
By Maurizio Carta, Alliance News Reporter
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