Stock Markets February 16, 2026

Milan Session Closes Flat to Slightly Higher as Industrials and Energy Lead

Italy 40 edges up 0.02% at the close as a small group of industrial and oil names outpace declines among payments and specialty healthcare stocks

By Avery Klein FCT
Milan Session Closes Flat to Slightly Higher as Industrials and Energy Lead
FCT

Italian equities finished marginally higher on Monday, with gains concentrated in Industrials, Oil & Gas and Financials. The Investing.com Italy 40 index closed up 0.02%. Leonardo, Fincantieri and Tenaris were the session's top performers, while Nexi, DiaSorin and STMicroelectronics were among the laggards. Market breadth was mixed, with slightly more advancers than decliners, and commodity and currency moves were modest.

Key Points

  • The Investing.com Italy 40 index closed up 0.02% in Milan, with Industrials, Oil & Gas and Financials providing the primary support.
  • Top individual gainers were Leonardo (+3.62%), Fincantieri (+3.40%) and Tenaris (+2.91%); Nexi (-3.50%), DiaSorin (-2.98%) and STMicroelectronics (-2.04%) were the largest decliners.
  • Market breadth was mixed - 331 advancers versus 319 decliners - and commodity and currency moves were modest, with Brent and WTI higher and gold lower.

Italian equities closed slightly in positive territory on Monday, with buyers clustered in industrial, energy and financial names that offset weakness elsewhere.

At the end of trading in Milan, the Investing.com Italy 40 was up 0.02%.

Among individual components, Leonardo SpA (BIT:LDOF) led gains, rising 3.62% - adding 1.96 points to finish at 56.04. Fincantieri SpA (BIT:FCT) advanced 3.40%, up 0.55 points to 16.75, and Tenaris SA (BIT:TENR) rose 2.91%, gaining 0.59 points to close at 20.89.

On the downside, payment processor Nexi SpA (BIT:NEXII) was the weakest large-cap, falling 3.50% - down 0.11 points to 3.09 at the close. Specialty healthcare name DiaSorin SpA (BIT:DIAS) slid 2.98%, losing 2.20 points to end at 71.74, while STMicroelectronics (BIT:STMMI) declined 2.04%, down 0.58 points to 27.86.

Market breadth on the Milan exchange was mixed. Rising issues outnumbered decliners by 331 to 319, and 51 stocks finished unchanged.

Two notable price milestones were recorded during the session. Shares of Nexi fell to all-time lows, finishing at 3.09 after a 3.50% decline. Tenaris reached a five-year high, closing at 20.89 following a 2.91% gain.


Commodities and currencies moved modestly. Crude oil for April delivery increased 1.07% - up 0.67 to $63.42 a barrel. Brent for April delivery rose 0.99% - up 0.67 to $68.42 a barrel. In metals, the April Gold Futures contract fell 0.66% - down 33.36 to trade at $5,012.94 a troy ounce.

On the foreign-exchange front, EUR/USD was effectively unchanged at 1.19 - recorded as a 0.13% move in the session data - while EUR/GBP was listed as unchanged at 0.87, a 0.03% move. The US Dollar Index Futures advanced 0.17%, trading at 96.99.


For investors and market observers, the session illustrated a narrow leadership where a handful of industrial and oil-and-gas names provided most of the upside, while select financials and technology-related stocks weighed on the index. Breadth metrics suggest the market lacked broad-based momentum despite the headline uptick.

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Risks

  • Concentration risk - gains were driven by a relatively small group of industrial and energy names, leaving the broader market vulnerable if leadership reverses; this affects Industrials, Oil & Gas and overall index performance.
  • Single-name downside - notable declines and a new all-time low in Nexi highlight company-specific downside risks in the Financials/payments segment.
  • Volatility in commodities and currencies - shifts in crude and dollar futures, though modest today, could influence energy-linked equities and export-sensitive sectors.

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