Take a breather from Piazza Affari which again yesterday produced a further downward filing of the Btp Bund spread and the all-time record of the ten-year benchmark Btp, for the first time below 0,50%. Precisely on the day in which the prime minister in charge should go to the Quirinale with the list of ministers, the Ftse Mib turns red, but by mid-morning he still defends the 23.000 points. The 10-year BTP is around 0,43% while the spread drops further, encroaching below 90 points, around the record of March 2015. The other European lists were also weak in the morning: Frankfurt lost more or less as much as Milan, a little sales in London and Paris are more reduced.
On the Ftse Mib all sectors are doing badly, starting with the banks: Unicredit still sells after the accounts and the farewell of Mustier, but today Intesa Sanpaolo, Mediobanca, Banco Bpm, Bper also slip into the red, all with losses of around or greater than 1%. Banca Generali peeps out positively, which still benefits from the accounts and the promotion of analysts, while outside the main basket, noteworthy is the -3% of Banca Ifis, which yesterday published the 2020 budget: the profit is there, but there is also a change at the top, with the new Dutch CEO Frederik Geertman who will take office in April.
On equality stmicroelectronics, back from yesterday's rally. Industrial and technological stocks, but also energy stocks, are in fibrillation these days because the nascent Draghi government will launch a Recovery Plan entirely based on the environment, digital technology and investments in infrastructure. Today, however, many stocks refuse: Enel -0,7%, Leonardo -1,4%, out of the Ftse Mib Fincantieri -3% after yesterday's +8%. In contrast Nexi, A2a, Unipol, Buzzi, all with gains around 1%. Diasorin is also still positive while Atlantia sinks -2%: with Draghi, a turning point is expected (also) on the sale of the motorway company.
Internationally the Bitcoin race does not stop, which retouched its record overnight, touching $49.000, only to then retrace this morning, when trade reopened in Europe, to $47.258, still confirming a 5,3% rise compared to the day before. The market capitalization of the virtual currency has soared above 883 billion dollars, while the trading volume has risen to over 88 billion dollars. The threshold of 50 thousand dollars is getting closer and closer, which some analysts had already seen within reach at the beginning of the week, following the maxi investment made by Tesla.
Meanwhile, the number of companies that accept payment in Bitcoin is growing. Among the big names in card payments, PayPal, Visa and the latest Mastercard have joined. And now Bank of New York Mellon has also cleared electronic currency for custody services. Back to “real” currencies, today the euro weakens against the dollar, trading at 1.210 by mid-morning. Commodities: Brent oil falls below 61 dollars a barrel, with the WTI below 58 dollars. Gold in this period does not give great satisfaction, moving slightly around 1816 dollars an ounce.
