News: FGX Italy - Factors to watch on Dec. 21

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 Italy will be placed under a nationwide lockdown for much of the Christmas and New Year holiday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Friday, as the government looks to prevent a fresh surge in coronavirus cases.

Italy reported 352 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday against 553 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections decreased to 15,104 from 16,308.

Italy is suspending flights from Britain in response to a new coronavirus strain spreading there, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Sunday.

Italy has detected a patient infected with the new strain of the coronavirus also found in Britain, the health ministry said on Sunday.

Fights within Italy's government sparked by criticism from former Premier Matteo Renzi could delay the deployment of EU funds, Minister for European Affairs Vincenzo Amendola told Il Messaggero in an interview.

ECONOMY The European Central Bank has complained to Italian Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri that measures to spur electronic payments in the country undermined the goal of a neutral approach to means of payment.

ISTAT releases November non-EU foreign trade data (0900 GMT).

Italy will likely widen its budget deficit again next year to support its coronavirus-battered economy, Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri reiterated in an interview with La Stampa published on Sunday. He added the move would not impact the government's plans to reduce deficit after 2021 and, should a planned vaccination roll-out succeed, will help Italy reach its growth targets.

COMPANIES FTSE share indexes revision effective as of Monday.

INTESA SANPAOLO ISP.MI Italy's no.1 bank said on Friday it had met early a 2021 target of cutting its gross impaired loans to 6% of total lending after completing a 4.3 billion euro bad loan securitisation that will tap the GACS state guarantee. With a net value of 1.2 billion euros, the transaction allows Intesa to offload the portfolio at book value.

Ubi Banca, as well as the parent company Intesa, also announced on Friday the sale of impaired loans for a gross value of 800 million euros and a net value of around 400 million euros.

Foreign markets remain a growth opportunity for Intesa, but at the moment it does not see the conditions for any significant moves, Chairman Gian Maria Gros-Pietro told Milano Finanza in an interview published on Saturday. He confirmed Intesa was in talks with supervisors following the easing of the dividend ban.

CREDITO VALTELLINESE PCVI.MI Creval's investor Kairos considers Credit Agricole's CAGR.PA takeover offer for the Italian lender as "inadequate", Massimo Trabattoni, head of Italian equities at the asset manager, told daily Il Sole 24 Ore.

MONTE DEI PASCHI BMPS.MI The bank's CEO will deliver its 2021-2025 strategic plan to Italy's Treasury on Monday, il Messaggero said on Sunday.

The budget committee of the Chamber of Deputies on Sunday approved without any changes the tax breaks Italy's government designed to spur bank mergers and attract a potential buyer for the loss-making bank.

ENEL ENEI.MI Enel is set to write a letter to the CDP, il Sole 24 Ore said on Saturday, to ask whether it plans to exercise its right of refusal on the planned sale of Enel's stake in Open Fiber to Macquarie and take control of the broadband operator by increasing its own 50% stake, or if not, to sit down at a table with the Australian infrastructure fund to decide on Open Fiber's future governance. The state lender will have 30 days from the day it receives the letter to decide on the matter, the paper added.

Shareholders at Enel Americas have approved the reorganization of the company's renewable business in Central and South America, Enel said late on Friday.

TELECOM ITALIA TLIT.MI A group of phone operators active in the business and wholesale segment, including Retelit, Colt, Intrend, Unidata and Irideos, have asked for a meeting with the industry ministry to oppose a potential creation of a network company controlled by Telecom Italia, adding the government should only give its OK to a project that would guarantee the independence between the retail and wholesale markets, according to Il Sole 24 ore.

FIAT CHRYSLER FCHA.MI Italy government has set aside 420 million euros to boost incentives for buyers of less emitting cars, including electric and hybrid vehicles but also latest generation diesel and petrol cars with engines conforming to the Euro 6 emissions standards.

GENERALI GASI.MI AM Best has affirmed the insurer's Financial Strength Rating (FSR) 'A' (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings 'a+'. The outlook is stable.

FIAT CHRYSLER FCHA.MI Chief Executive Mike Manley will head the American operations of Stellantis, the group to be created from the merger between the Italian-American automaker and France's Peugeot PEUP.PA , FCA Chairman John Elkann said on Friday.

OVS OVS.MI The clothing retailer said on Friday it had started exclusive negotiations for the possible acquisition of Stefanel brand and 23 stores of the troubled clothing group. The offer provides for a total consideration of 3.2 million euros.

ATLANTIA ATL.MI State-lender CDP is considering buying 51% of Atlantia’s Autostrade per l'Italia if valuation for all of the motorway unit can be brought down to 7.5 billion euros, Corriere della Sera said on Sunday.

Airport operator Aeroporti di Roma is working to boost the offer of COVID-tested flights ahead of the upcoming summer season and Tokyo could be the next destination covered, AdR CEO Marco Troncone said, according to Il Sole 24 Ore on Saturday.

Italian toll-road operator ASTM ATMI.MI is ready to assist CDP as an industrial partner should the state lender pursue its planned investment in Atlantia's motorway unit Autostrade per l'Italia, ASTM CEO Umberto Tosoni told La Stampa in an interview published on Sunday.

ANIMA HOLDING ANIM.MI The asset manager expects consolidated net profit this year to be at least in line with the 145.8 million euros ($178.68 million) recorded the previous year, it said in a statement on Saturday. In a separate interview with Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper, Chief Executive Alessandro Melzi D'Eril said the company would pay out half of 2020 net profits in dividends next year as it had done with 2019 earnings.

ERG ERG.MI Italian energy group Erg is considering the sale of hydroelectric assets and a natural gas plant that could have a total value of more than 1 billion euros as the company pushes to accelerates its growth in the wind and solar power segment, MF said on Saturday.

JUVENTUS JUVE.MI , LAZIO LAZI.MI , ROMA ASR.MI Italy's top flight soccer league Serie A aims to raise at least 1.15 billion euros ($1.4 billion) per season over the next three years from the sale of pay-TV rights for its home market, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Friday.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice, taking his Serie A tally for the season to 12 in only nine games, as defending champions Juventus cruised to a 4-0 win at Parma on Saturday.

DE' LONGHI DLG.MI Trades ex-dividend of 0.54 euro per share.

ALITALIA A new, downsized Alitalia aims to break even in terms of core profit in 2022, excluding aircraft costs, the state-owned carrier's CEO-elect said on Friday.

The company's management is to meet with unions this week to discuss the new business, widely criticised by the labour groups, several papers said over the weekend.

DIARY Rome, Bank of Italy holds conference on "Ownership, Governance, Management & Firm Performance" (to Dec. 22); Governor Ignazio Visco delivers opening address (1200 GMT).

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