European equity markets displayed uncertainty without a defined trend, as traders appeared to be waiting for the opening of Wall Street to gauge sentiment for the final trading session of the week. Among the major exchanges, London performed best with a 0.2% gain, followed by Paris which rose 0.1%. Conversely, Amsterdam fell 0.3%, while Frankfurt and Madrid both slipped by half a percentage point. Milan emerged as the weakest market, recording a decline of 0.7%.
Macroeconomic data regarding the Eurozone GDP and Italian inflation failed to move the markets significantly. The spread between Italian BTPs and German Bunds remained relatively stable around 117 basis points from the opening levels. In currency trading, the euro strengthened by 0.2% against the dollar, reaching a rate of 1.12.
Commodity markets saw notable activity as natural gas continued its upward trajectory on the Amsterdam exchange, rising approximately 5% to 103 euros per megawatt-hour. Oil prices in New York also increased by two percent to $104 per barrel, driven by speculation that the United States might resume attacks against Iran.
On the Milan exchange, Amplifon continued its sharp decline, dropping 14% to 11.2 euros following financial results released after market close the previous day. Technoprobe also suffered a 7% loss amid global weakness in the high-tech sector, while Stellantis fell by more than three percentage points. Banking stocks generally followed the broader index trend, with MPS down 1%. In contrast, Eni, Moncler, and Campari posted gains exceeding one percent.
Sources: ANSA Economia.