The following factors could affect Italian markets on Monday.
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.
POLITICS
U.S. President Donald Trump praised Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and said she was willing to help the United States and Israel in their war with Iran, Italy's Corriere della Sera reported on Sunday.
Speaking to the newspaper in a telephone call on Saturday, Trump described Meloni as "a great leader" and said Italy was doing what it could to assist.
The European Commission is pressing Italy to adopt further changes to its golden power legislation, two sources told Reuters on Friday, after a first revision failed to ease Brussels' concerns that the way Rome vets banking merger deals breaches EU rules.
ECONOMY
Italy is considering cutting fuel excise duties using higher-than-expected value-added tax revenues triggered by rising pump prices, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday, as businesses warned the conflict in the Middle East could sharply raise energy costs.
Excise duties account for a large share of the pump price in Italy and are levied per litre, not as a percentage of the total price like VAT.
In a statement on Saturday, Italy's defence minister urged the country's defence industry to accelerate production to help bolster national security, citing a rapidly deteriorating international environment, particularly in the Middle East.
DEBT
Treasury announces the sale of BTP bonds, with relative amounts to be auctioned on March 12.
Italy's Treasury said on Friday it would sell 8 billion euros in BOT bills at an auction on March 11.
COMPANIES
ENI ENI.MI
Plenitude, Eni's renewables and retail energy unit, could move towards greater independence as the Italian energy group explores options to deconsolidate it from its balance sheet, Il Corriere della Sera reported on Sunday.
Eni is said to have mandated Mediobanca to study the transaction, which could involve changes in governance leading to a loss of control, or a reduction of Eni's stake below 50%.
ERG ERG.MI
The Italian renewables group said on Friday it would unveil its new strategy on March 12.
(*) NEXI NEXII.MI
Morgan Stanley on Monday raised the rating of the payments group to 'equal weight' from 'underweight' and cut the target price to 3 euros from 3.85 euros.
(*) LEONARDO LDOF.MI
Barclays on Monday raised its rating of the state-controlled defence and aerospace group to 'overweight' from 'equal-weight' and raised the target price to 68 euros from 53 euros.
BANCA SISTEMA BSTA.MI
Elliott-backed Italian specialty lender CF+ said on Friday it would launch a mandatory bid for the 29.3% of Banca Sistema it does not own, offering up to 1.89 euros per share: 1.432 euros in cash and up to 0.458 euros in Kruso Kapital KK.MI shares. CF+ does not plan to delist Banca Sistema.
(*) THE ITALIAN SEA GROUP TISGR.MI
The yacht maker's board on Friday decided to request The Milan bourse to remove the company from the Star segment. The decision is "to simplify and optimize corporate activities and available resources, allowing for greater operational flexibility and enabling the company to focus on the actions necessary to address its financial situation," the group said in a statement.
(*) FERRETTI YACHT.MI
The yacht maker's controlling shareholder, China's Weichai Group's Ferretti International Holding (FIH), rejected as unfounded recent media reports and analyst commentaries that suggested it has hindered the company's growth, citing more than 470 million euros in investments over the course of its shareholding and compliance with proper governance.
"FIH, as a shareholder, exercises its rights through proper corporate governance channels. It does not act unilaterally to direct or constrain the Company's management, and any characterisation to the contrary misrepresents the governance structure of a publicly listed company," it said in a statement.
(*) MONCLER MONC.MI
HSBC on Monday raised its rating for the luxury group to 'buy' from 'hold' and raised the target price to 72 euros from 60 euros.
(*) FASHION - MISSONI
The Italian fashion house is targeting single‑digit annual revenue growth over the next five years, helped by investment in resort mini‑boutiques and communications marketing, after the told Reuters.
(*) JUVENTUS JUVE.MI
The Turin-based team beat Pisa 4-0 on Saturday, returning to victory in the championship after more than a month.
DIARY
Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti attends Eurogroup meeting in Brussels.
((Milan newsroom, e-mail: reutersitaly@thomsonreuters.com))
For Italian market data and news, click on codes in
brackets:
20 biggest gainers (in percentage).............PG.MI
20 biggest losers (in percentage)..............PL.MI
FTSE IT allshare index .FTITLMS
FTSE Mib index........ .FTMIB
FTSE Allstars index... .FTSTAR
FTSE Mid Cap index.... .FTITMC
Block trades.......... .BLK.MI
Stories on Italy...... IT-LEN
For pan-European market data and news, click on codes in
brackets:
European Equities speed guide...................EUR/EQUITY
FTSEurofirst 300 index...............................FTEU3
DJ STOXX index.......................................STOXX
Top 10 STOXX sectors............................PGL.STOXXS
Top 10 EUROSTOXX sectors.......................PGL.STOXXES
Top 10 Eurofirst 300 sectors....................PGL.FTEU3S
Top 25 European pct gainers........................PG.PEUR
Top 25 European pct losers.........................PL.PEUR
Main stock markets:
Dow Jones................DJI Wall Street report ......N
Nikkei 225..............N225 Tokyo report.............T
FTSE 100................FTSE London report............L
Xetra DAX..............GDAXI Frankfurt market stories.F
CAC-40..................FCHI Paris market stories....PA
World Indices.....................................0#.INDEX
Reuters survey of world bourse outlook.........EQUITYPOLL1
Western European IPO diary..........................WEUIPO
European Asset Allocation........................EUR/ASSET
Reuters News at a Glance: Equities...............TOP/EQE
Main currency report:...............................FRX/