In the midst of the earnings season (Alphabet and Tesla are expected tomorrow), and despite lingering uncertainties over tensions in the Middle East, the financial markets of Europe and the USA recorded another positive session. This time London is also joining the party, which yesterday had not shown enthusiasm for the inauguration of new Prime Minister Andy Burnham but which today instead took home +0,6%. Milan +0,81% above 52.000 points, Paris +0,3%, Frankfurt +0,6%, Dow Jones +0,6%, S&P 500 +0,8%, Nasdaq Composite Index +1,3%.
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Nasdaq soars with AI: Micron gains 10%
The driver today is still Artificial Intelligence and therefore the semiconductor market and the tech market in general. Micron Tech rises again on the Nasdaq, gaining more than 10%., but Sandisk is doing even better, exceeding 11%. Among the most traded stocks are Nvidia +1,3%, Tesla which on the eve of the quarterly results has collected 3,3%, AMD +6%. Intel +7,4% and SpaceX +7% also do very well. Traditional big tech companies are less lively than expectedMicrosoft, Google, and Amazon are trading in the red, while Meta and Apple are in positive territory but without sparks. Another sign of a "yes" day is the rather strong recovery of Bitcoin revisits $67.000, while the euro remains weak against the US dollar, with the exchange rate at 1,141.
Stm and Difesa boom on the Milan Stock Exchange. Novartis rises in New York after the results.
On the Ftse Mib, it is worth noting, following the US AI, the excellent performance of STM +4,3%, followed by Prysmian +4,3% and the defense stocks. Both Leonardo +1,5% and Fincantieri +1%, in fact, are driven by the news of their respective million-dollar ordersThe aeronautical company has been awarded a contract worth approximately €200 million by Saudi Arabia for 11 AW139 helicopters, while the naval company benefits from the announcement by Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro of the purchase of three FREMM Evo frigates for approximately €3 billion. The banks are also doing very wellFinecobank +2%, Unicredit +1,9%, Banco Bpm +1,35% are the best performers. Diasorin, on the other hand, suffered a sharp decline of -4%, bucking the performance of Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, which, after a better-than-expected quarterly report, gained over 3% on the NYSE. The BTP-Bund spread remained stable at 83 basis points, with 10-year BTP yield which however reaches 4%.
Oil prices rise on US-Iran tensions: Brent above $90
Oil is once again a source of concern, rising sharply today on growing concerns about supplies along several key export routes. Markets continued to monitor the conflict between the United States and Iran after Washington conducted attacks for the tenth consecutive day and President Trump declared that Tehran "will pay" for the aggression that cost the lives of American soldiers. Reports say Another oil tanker loaded with petroleum products was hit near the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting the persistent risks to shipping. Meanwhile, Yemen's Houthi militants have threatened to block Saudi maritime traffic in the Red Sea. Brent crude is currently trading at $92 a barrel, while WTI crude is nearly $85. Gold and silver also catch their breath: the first consolidates at 4.000 dollars per ounce, the second approaches 60 dollars.
