European stock markets finished broadly higher Thursday, despite concerning signals from manufacturing data both in teh Eurozone and the United States. While Milan’s FTSE MIB posted gains, driven by strong performances in industrial and technology sectors, purchasing managers’ indices indicate a slowdown in factory activity across key economies. Investors are closely watching upcoming macroeconomic releases for further clarity on the economic outlook as 2026 begins.
European stock markets closed higher today, with gains also seen in Milan. The S&P-500 remained relatively stable in U.S. trading, ending the day down slightly at -0.14%.
On the macroeconomic front, Eurozone business lending accelerated in November, according to data released by the European Central Bank. However, the Eurozone manufacturing sector experienced a setback at the end of 2025, with production levels declining for the first time since February, as revealed by the latest S&P Global-Hamburg Commercial Bank survey. Across the Atlantic, S&P Global’s purchasing managers’ index confirmed a deterioration in U.S. manufacturing activity in December 2025.
The euro held steady against the U.S. dollar, trading at 1.175, while gold saw a modest increase, reaching $4,330.4 per ounce. Crude oil (Light Sweet Crude Oil) fell 1.23% to $56.71 per barrel. The spread widened to +67 basis points, with the yield on the 10-year BTP reaching 3.57%. This movement in the spread reflects investor sentiment regarding Italian sovereign debt.
Among European markets, Frankfurt remained largely unchanged, while London showed no significant price fluctuations. Paris posted a slight gain of +0.56%.
Piazza Affari finished the session with an advance, with the FTSE MIB rising to 45,374 points. The FTSE Italia All-Share also saw positive performance, increasing by 0.88% compared to yesterday’s close.
The FTSE Italia Mid Cap was virtually flat (+0.17%), while the FTSE Italia Star experienced a slight decline (-0.37%).
Leading Milanese stocks included Fincantieri (+5.75%), STMicroelectronics (+4.25%), Leonardo (+4.19%), and Prysmian (+4.05%).
Conversely, Nexi experienced the largest losses, closing down -1.68%. Telecom Italia also declined, falling 1.52%. Brunello Cucinelli underperformed, ending the day slightly lower, while Buzzi edged down 0.96%.
Among mid-cap stocks in Milan, Technoprobe (+5.98%), Italmobiliare (+3.66%), Brembo (+2.87%), and ERG (+2.55%) led the gains.
The largest declines in the mid-cap segment were seen in Reply (-3.31%), Carel Industries (-2.44%), Moltiply Group (-2.31%), and D’Amico (-2.05%).
Key macroeconomic dates to watch include:
Friday, January 2, 2026
10:00 European Union: M3, annual (expected 2.7%; previous 2.8%)
10:00 European Union: Manufacturing PMI (expected 49.2 points; previous 49.6 points)
15:45 USA: Manufacturing PMI (expected 51.8 points; previous 52.2 points)
Monday, January 5, 2026
01:30 Japan: Manufacturing PMI (previous 48.7 points)
16:00 USA: ISM Manufacturing (previous 48.2 points)
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
08:45 France: Consumer Prices, monthly (previous -0.2%)
08:45 France: Consumer Prices, annual (previous 0.9%).
(Teleborsa) 01-02-2026 18:02
