The following factors could affect Italian markets on Thursday.
Reuters has not verified the newspaper reports, and cannot vouch for their accuracy. New items are marked with (*).
For a complete list of diary events in Italy please click on IT/DIA .
GENERAL
Italy reported 680 coronavirus-related deaths on Wednesday against 846 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 17,572 from 14,844. ENEI.MI
The Italian utility is expected at a board meeting on Thursday to kick off a process to sell all or part of its stake in fast broadband company Open Fiber to Australian investment fund Macquarie, three sources close to the matter said.
FINCANTIERI FCT.MI
The shipbuilder is considering options to offset the blow dealt to its finances by the pandemic, including a capital increase up to 1.5 billion euros, Bloomberg said on Wednesday citing people familiar with the matter. A spokesman for Fincantieri said the company was evaluating several options for extraordinary transactions, as it routinely did and that no decision had been taken yet.
MEDIASET MS.MI
An Italian court has reserved a decision relating to French media group Vivendi (PA:VIV)'s voting stake in the broadcaster, two legal sources said on Wednesday. MONCLER MONC.MI
The luxury puffer jacket maker is betting heavily on younger consumers and the Chinese market to help sales bounce back from the coronavirus crisis, its boss told Reuters, seeing scope for a recovery from the second half of 2021. ENI.MI
Italian judges are expected to hand down their verdict on Eni and Shell (LON:RDSa) in one of the oil industry's biggest-ever corruption trials at the end of March, a top court official said on Wednesday. Bank of Italy on Wednesday extended to less significant banks the recommendations on dividends the ECB had earlier issued by ECB for larger banks.
BANCA MONTE DEI PASCHI DI SIENA BMPS.MI
Board meeting on business plan and capital shortfall. (*) The plan foresees 3,000 redundancies and a 2-2.5 billion euros capital increase, some newspapers said, in line with what sources had told Reuters earlier this month.
Moody's said on Thursday it had extended a review for upgrade on the lender's ratings. CREDITO VALTELLINESE PCVI.MI
Credit Agricole CAGR.PA has no intention to raise the price of its takeover bid for the third-tier Italian lender, the head of the French bank's Italian unit told la Repubblica newspaper in an interview. BANCO BPM BAMI.MI , CATTOLICA CASS.MI
Banco BPM and Cattolica are likely to turn to arbitration after Italy's third-largest bank said it would exercise a call option to buy the insurer's stakes in their insurance joint-ventures, two sources said on Wednesday. is set to ask for 500 million in damages from Banco BPM, Il Sole 24 said, adding it would take a long time to settle the legal dispute.
FIAT CHRYSLER FCHA.MI
Italy is set to approve the extension to next year of measures to support the country's automotive market, which include incentives to buy electric and hybrid cars, as well as the latest generation of petrol and diesel cars, the Chairwoman of Parliament's Lower House Industry committee said on Wednesday in a statement.
(*) CNH INDUSTRIAL CNHI.MI
The truck maker decided to repay in advance the entire 600 million pound commercial paper issued in April 2020 through the Joint HM Treasury and Bank of England's Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF). JUVE.MI
Cristiano Ronaldo had a penalty saved as Juventus were held to yet another Serie A draw in an entertaining match against Atalanta which finished 1-1 in Turin on Wednesday. RECI.MI
Extraordinary shareholders' meeting (1600 GMT).
OVS OVS.MI
Chief Executive Stefano Beraldo on Wednesday told Radio24 that the Italian clothing retailer - which on Tuesday said it had submitted a binding offer for the Stefanel brand - had never denied its interest for troubled rival Conbipel.
SESA SES.MI
Conference call on H1 results (1600 GMT).
CALEIDO GROUP CALG.MI
De-listed from segment AIM by Thursday.
DIARY
Rome, Culture and Tourism Minister Dario Franceschini speaks before Regional Affairs Committee on the process of implementing 'differentiated regionalism' (0730 GMT).
Innovation Minister Paola Pisano delivers opening address at online conference on "Enabling Digital Italy: the good direction to start again" (0830 GMT).
Rome, German Ambassador Viktor Elbling informally speaks before Chamber of Deputies Foreign Affairs and EU Policy committees on the outcome of the German Presidency of EU Council (1000 GMT).
Rome, Chamber of Deputies Speaker Roberto Fico receives Snam SGR.MI CEO Marco Alvera (1300 GMT).
Rome, Innovation Minister Paola Pisano speaks via videoconference before Senate's human rights Committee on internet access as a human right (1230 GMT).