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 .
ECONOMY
A race to save Greece from bankruptcy and keep it in the euro gathered pace on Wednesday when Athens formally applied for a three-year loan and European authorities launched an accelerated review of the request. ID:nL8N0ZO1MI
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi cast doubt on the possibility of saving Greece from bankruptcy, adding he did not believe Russia would come to Athens's rescue, according to comments in Italian financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore published on Thursday. ID:nI6N0ZG009
DEBT
Italy's Treasury will offer up to 7.5 billion euros in bonds at an auction on Monday. ID:nI6N0ZG006
COMPANIES
BANCA MONTE DEI PASCHI DI SIENA BMPS.MI
Outgoing Chairman Alessandro Profumo ruled out on Wednesday the possibility of a break up of the Italian bank and said it was unlikely for Monte Paschi to find a merger partner by July 26, a deadline to tell the European Central Bank what steps it has taken to facilitate a merger.
* Papers mention various hypothesis for a potential successor for Profumo, including Dario Scannapieco and Massimo Tononi.
* SAIPEM SPMI.MI , GAZPROM GAZP.MM
Russia's Gazprom GAZP.MM has cancelled a contract with Italian oil services group Saipem to build the first line of a gas pipeline beneath the Black Sea, the Russian state gas company said in a statement on Wednesday. ID:nL8N0ZO4NU
* ENEL GREEN POWER EGPW.MI
Italy's biggest renewable energy company Enel Green Power said on Thursday it had signed a long-term energy power purchase agreement with Endesa Chile worth up to $3.5 billion. The company also said it had begun construction of Chile's largest solar photovoltaic plant, which will have a total installed capacity of 160 MW. EGP will be investing around $270 million in the new plant. ID:nI6N0ZG008
* SALINI IMPREGILO SALI.MI
The builder said it had won another contract for construction of primary urban infrastructure in the residential area of Shamal in Qatar, with the project valued at 300 million euros. ID:nI6N0ZG00A
FIAT CHRYSLER FCHA.MI FCAU.N
Shares in Fiat Chrysler and other U.S. automakers' fell in New York trade on Wednesday amid concerns of falling car sales in China, Russia and Brazil. ID:nL3N0ZO4T7
* BANCO POPOLARE BAPO.MI , POPOLARE DI MILANO PMII.MI , UBI BANCA UBI.MI
Banco Popolare appears to have cooled on the idea of a marriage with Banca Popolare di Milano in favour of a potential tie-ups with unlisted lenders in other parts of the country and foundations such as Cariverona, Cariparo and Fondazione Venezia, according to the MF. A third idea would be a merger of equals with UBI Banca, the paper added.
* IPO, BOLOGNA AIRPORT
Italy's Bologna airport operator said on Thursday it had priced its initial public offering at 4.50 euros ($4.99) per share, with the stock set to start trading on the bourse on July 14. ID:nI6N0ZG00B