Italy - Factors to watch on Oct. 18
18/10/2021 05:00
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 .
GENERAL
Italy reported 24 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday, up
from 14 the previous day, the health ministry said, while the
daily tally of new infections fell to 2,437 from 2,983.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nR1N2QO00Y
POLITICS
Italy made COVID-19 health passes mandatory for all workers
from Friday in a test case for Europe, with the measure being
applied mostly peacefully across the country despite scattered
protests. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2RB22N
Italians started voting on Sunday in a two-day run-off for
the local governments of 65 large cities and smaller towns,
including the capital Rome. Polls will close on Monday
afternoon. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2RC04L
ECONOMY
Italy's business lobby Confindustria said on Saturday the
country's growth this year would be more robust than expected,
mainly due to a more contained impact of the COVID-19 Delta
variant and stronger-than-expected economic indicators. Its
research unit CSC forecast gross domestic product (GDP) would
rise 6.1% this year and 4.1% next year, going above pre-pandemic
levels in the first half of 2022. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2RC05U
COMPANIES
BANCA MONTE DEI PASCHI DI SIENA BMPS.MI , UNICREDIT
CRDI.MI
Italy is in talks to inject at least 5 billion euros into
Monte dei Paschi ahead of a sale of the troubled lender to
UniCredit, Bloomberg News said on Friday, citing people familiar
with the matter. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2RB3BZ
The conditions posed by UniCredit in July to consider buying
"selected parts" of Monte dei Paschi require the state to inject
more than 7 billion euros into the Tuscan bank if UniCredit is
to take on the largest possible perimeter allowing Rome to draw
a line once and for all under Monte dei Paschi's woes, two
people familiar with the matter said.
The positions of Italy's Treasury and UniCredit over the
sale are still distant and the result of the negotiations will
be known on Oct. 28, when the lender will publish its third
quarter results, reported La Stampa on Saturday.
The Treasury is in talks with the European Commission to
push back by six months the deadline for the privatisation of
Monte dei Paschi in order to have more time available to find an
agreement with UniCredit, Il Messaggero reported on Sunday. The
Commission should not have too many objections given the
authority of the government, it added.
GENERALI GASI.MI
As of Oct. 15, Leonardo Del Vecchio increased his stake in
the insurer to 5.49%. As a result, the consultation pact between
the entrepreneur, businessman Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone and
banking foundation Fondazione CRT holds a total shareholding of
13.28% in the insurer.
BANCA POPOLARE DI SONDRIO BPSI.MI
The Committee for the autonomy and independence of Popolare
di Sondrio - a group of small shareholders of the co-operative
lender which oppose its imminent transformation into a
joint-stock company - said on Saturday it aimed to create a new
company with a co-operative profile in which its investors would
pool their bank shares.
ENI ENI.MI
A new biojet fuel developed by the energy group was used for
the first time on Friday to power Alitalia successor ITA as part
of plans to cut carbon footprints. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2RB4DF
Chief Executive Claudio Descalzi said on Sunday more gas is
arriving in Italy from Russia this year than in 2020.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nR1N2QO010
ATLANTIA ATL.MI
Italian infrastructure group Atlantia said on Friday a deal
had been reached with the Italian transport ministry to close a
dispute over a fatal bridge collapse. The settlement paves the
way for the closing of a sale of Atlantia's stake in its
motorway unit Autostrade per l'Italia to a consortium led by
state-lender CDP. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nS8N2CE01O
TIM TLIT.MI
Relations with top shareholder Vivendi VIV.PA are
"excellent, (Vivendi) is an industrial investor with a long-term
vision", giving stability to the company, Chief Executive Luigi
Gubitosi told Il Messaggero in an interview published on Sunday.
He added those with state lender CDP, which has a stake of just
under 5%, "work well, with a constant dialogue".
Gubitosi said that the value of the company is higher than
the value of its shares on the market and that the client base
for its broadband services has stabilised, "with some positive
signals... and a low rotation rate of clients, signalling a
higher satisfaction".
The CEO added that "the operational performance of Tim
Brazil is very good and its development path for coming years
has been solidly traced".
AUTOMOTIVE
Italy has set aside an extra 100 million euros to subsidise
citizens who want to buy less polluting vehicles this year,
Industry Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Friday.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2RB3GZ
SECO IOT.MI
The high-tech group plans to make a new acquisition in the
cyber security sector, likely in the United States, reported
Milano Finanza.
IPO
Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners is considering
selling around 30-40% of Italian gaming group Sisal in an
initial public offering (IPO) slated for the first quarter of
next year, two sources close to the matter said on Friday.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nS8N2OR02C
SS LAZIO LAZI.MI
Felipe Anderson and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic scored late to
complete a 3-1 comeback win for Lazio against Serie A champions
Inter Milan in Rome on Saturday, as Simone Inzaghi fell to his
first league defeat as Inter coach against his former club.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2RC0CI
Trade ex dividend: ASSICURAZIONI GENERALI GASI.MI of 0.46
euro per share as last tranche (first tranche of 1.01 euro per
share on May 24, 2021); BANCA IFIS IF.MI of 1.10 euro per
share on 2019 profits; BANCA MEDIOLANUM BMED.MI of 0.75333
euro per share as 2020 final dividend (interim dividend of
0.2667 euro per share on May 24, 2021); INTESA SANPAOLO ISP.MI
of 0.0996 euro per ordinary share from reserves on 2020 profits;
UNIPOL UNPI.MI of 0.28 euro per ordinary share from
extraordinary reserve on 2019 profits.
DIARY
G20, insurers' association (ANIA) and International
Federation of Insurance Associations (GFIA) "Insurance summit,
ensuring a prosperous future for people and the planet" online
event (0730 GMT); ends on Oct. 19. On Monday expected attendees
include ANIA President Maria Bianca Farina, Economy Minister
Daniele Franco, Italian insurers' supervisor IVASS President and
Bank of Italy Director General Luigi Federico Signorini,
Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani, EU Financial
Services, Financial Stability & Capital Markets Union
Commissioner Mairead McGuiness, Assicurazioni Generali GASI.MI
CEO Philippe Donnet, Economy Ministry representative Stefano
Cappiello, U.N. Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance
Mark Carney, EU Commission representative Raffaele Mauro
Petriccione; Treasury Director General Alessandro Rivera and
ANIA President Maria Bianca Farina deliver closing remarks.
Rome, Cabinet meeting on mini-budget.
Milan, conference on "Drawing the future: competitiveness,
innovation, sustainability" with business' Confindustria
President Carlo Bonomi, Intesa Sanpaolo ISP.MI CEO Carlo
Messina (0900 GMT).
Verona, conference on "NPLs & UTPs" (0745 GMT).
Verona, farmers' body Coldiretti holds conference on "New
frontiers in viticulture and the protection of Made in Italy
products" with President Ettore Prandini, Agriculture Minister
Stefano Patuanelli, Veneto region Governor Luca Zaia (0900 GMT).
((Milan newsroom, +39 02 6612 9507, fax +39 02 801149,
milan.newsroom@news.reuters.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/