The stock markets were little moved, and it couldn't be otherwise in the heart of summer and, as far as Piazza Affari is concerned, during the week of August 15th. Even markets go on holiday from time to time and so the European stock markets today do not have much to say and close mixed: Milan -0,1%, Frankfurt at parity, Paris +0,13%, London -0,35%. Even more uncertain is Wall Street, where the Dow Jones is trying to hold up But at 17 p.m. Italian time, the Nasdaq was reported in negative territory, despite the attempted recovery of some chip and AI-related stocks. The euro-dollar exchange rate remains almost stable above 1,15Bitcoin at $64.000.
AI tries to react on the Nasdaq. Intel is knocked out by its capital increase.
The picture, however, is not homogeneous: Sandisk +2%, Nvidia -2%, Micron -1%, SpaceX +2,3% (returning, for the first time since July 16, above the IPO price of 135 dollars per share), Microsoft +1,6%, Apple -2%. Among the worst performing stocks is Intel down 3,5% after announcing a $15 billion capital increase.The company announced today a public offering of new shares, with an additional option for intermediaries of up to $2,25 billion. The worst performing stock in the Nasdaq-100 super basket is Lumentum -5,5%, a particularly innovative company that produces optical and photonic components: in simple words, transforms light into a tool for transferring huge amounts of data very quickly. The best stock is Datadog +7,3%, while Palantir +3,6% is also doing very well.
Uncertainty in the Middle East pushes gas prices to 60 euros.
Today's session is also marked by a decisive Oil prices rise, supported by uncertainty related to the Strait of HormuzIran and Oman have yet to finalize an agreement to reopen this strategic passage, while conflicting signals from Tehran and Washington have raised doubts about the time needed to reach an agreement. Meanwhile, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility. an attack on the Saudi refinery in Jazan, while over the weekend an oil tanker operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. The result is the Brent above $86 a barrel and WTI Crude Oil at 81 dollars.
Gold steady, silver near mid-June highs
Il European natural gas even makes a double-digit leap, by about 10%, returning above the 60 euro per megawatt-hour threshold, the highest since late July. In the absence of a US-Iran agreement, disruptions to LNG shipments through this key transit point are likely to persist, delaying shipments from major exporters, such as Qatar. Gold remains substantially stable at around $4.350 an ounce, while silver recorded a more significant increase, of almost 2%, approaching 65 dollars an ounce, that is, the highest in almost two months.
Weak Milan Stock Exchange: Oil and Stellantis Stocks Stand Out
Returning to Europe, Piazza Affari had a weak session, but it easily held the 53.000 point mark and actually remained close to 54.000. Oil stocks stood out, benefiting from the rise in oil prices: Eni +1,3%, Saipem +1,6%. Other energy sector stocks are in the red.Terna -1,7%, Italgas -1,3%, Snam -1,2%, Enel -1%. Stellantis had an excellent session, up 1,85%. Banks were not leading players today but tended to be positive: Unicredit +0,2% (first formal discussions have begun on how to manage the planned takeover of Commerzbank), Intesa Sanpaolo +0,5%, Bper -0,8%, Banco Bpm +0,6%, MPS +0,2%. The BTP-Bund spread rises again, settling at 78 basis points, with an increase of 2 basis points, with the yield on the 10-year BTP equal to 3,96%.
