Table of Contents:
Introduction to the performance of European stock exchanges
The European stock exchanges experienced a moderately positive day, with the exception of Piazza Affari, which closed lower. The Ftse Mib ended the day with a decline of 0.3%, to 36,143 points.
This decline was influenced by the drop in the down payment on the dividend by important companies such as Enel and Snam.
The performance of the main companies
In detail, Enel‘s stock registered a decrease of 2.2%, while Hera, Eni and Terna also saw a significant decline, by 1.6% and 1.4% respectively.
In contrast, Iveco Group and Stellantis showed positive performance, gaining 2.7% and 2.4%.
Global influences and business dialogue
Despite the closure of Wall Street for Martin Luther King’s Day, attention remains high in the United States, in particular for Donald Trump‘s inauguration ceremony in the White House. The president-elect had a telephone conversation with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, showing greater openness to commercial dialogue with countries such as China, Canada and Mexico. This development has led to partial relief in markets, concerned about the possibility of new tariffs and a
tariff war.
Focus on Davos and economic expectations
Today, the Davos forum also kicked off, a crucial event for global economic discussions. In the coming days, investors will be looking forward to the PMI indices of the main economies, the quarterly US indices and the Bank of Japan meeting. These events could further influence market performance.
Bond position and raw materials
As far as the bond market is concerned, the Btp-Bund spread remains stable in the 109 basis points area, with the Italian bond at 3.61% and the German one at 2.52%. In the commodities sector, Brent oil declined, falling below 80 dollars per barrel, while gold remains above 2,700 dollars an ounce
.
Cryptocurrency trends and bank ratings
In the cryptocurrency market, Bitcoin has fallen below 105 thousand dollars after reaching a new record above 109,000 dollars. In addition, Fitch Ratings confirmed Banco BPM‘s long-term rating, keeping it in Rating Watch Positive, while UniCredit is moving forward with its exchange offer, despite the uncertainty about regulatory approval times
.
Business strategies and innovation in the food sector
In a context of corporate strategies, Ferrari recently purchased more than 30,000 ordinary shares on Euronext Milan as part of a share repurchase plan, with a total expected value of 150 million euros. This is part of a larger 2 billion euro program until 2026. In addition, research conducted by Enea has developed a non-destructive molecular analysis technique to guarantee the origin and quality of Italian rice, offering new opportunities for producers and consumers
.
Steel production in Italy
Finally, in 2024, steel production in Italy fell by 5% compared to the previous year, with flat laminates, mainly used in automotive and mechanics, recording a significant decrease of 9.7%. These data highlight the challenges that the sector is facing in a changing economic environment
.
