News: UBI * ALT / Italy - Factors to watch on April 3

The following factors could affect Italian markets on Friday.

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 The head of the European Commission apologised to Italy on Thursday for a lack of solidarity from Europe in tackling its coronavirus crisis, but promised greater help in dealing with the economic fallout.

ECONOMY IHS Markit releases March service Pmi data (0745 GMT). ISTAT releases Q4 deficit/GDP ratio data (0800 GMT).

DEBT Treasury announces sale of 12-month BOT bills, with relative amounts to be auctioned on April 8.

COMPANIES BANKS Requests for debt moratoriums will challenge Italian banks, DBRS Morningstar said on Thursday, confirming ratings for Intesa Sanpaolo, UBI and Credito Valtellinese with stable trends.

DBRS also confirmed debt ratings for Monte Dei Paschi, Banco Bpm and Popolare Sondrio but revised their trends to negative from stable.

UNICREDIT CRDI.MI Italy's biggest bank has agreed with unions 5,200 voluntary layoffs to meet staff reduction goals under a new four-year plan presented in December, unions said on Thursday.

Confirming the 5,200 voluntary early retirements and 2,600 new hirings over the next four years, the bank also said it would turn 900 apprenticeships into standard contracts and set up two new client contact and back office centres in southern Italy.

MEDIASET MS.MI The Italian broadcaster said it had filed with Dutch authorities revised plans to merge its Italian and Spanish businesses under a Dutch entity as it seeks to offset legal challenges from investor Vivendi VIV.PA . Notice of the filing appeared in the Dutch Official Gazette on Thursday, giving Mediaset six months to complete the merger, which is on hold pending a Spanish court decision.

UNIPOLSAI US.MI , UNIPOL GROUP UNPI.MI> Italy's second-largest insurer will pay a dividend on 2019 results in light of its strong capital position, its parent company Unipol Group said, adding it was suspending instead its own dividend payment.

ATLANTIA ATL.MI The infrastructure group's motorway unit Autostrade per l'Italia said on Thursday it would exempt health workers from toll payments pending the coronavirus emergency.

INSURERS Insurers and reinsurers in the European Union should temporarily suspend dividends and share buybacks, and consider postponing bonuses as well to ensure continuity in services during the coronavirus pandemic, the bloc's insurance regulator said on Thursday.

	............. .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 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 ..... Nikkei 225............. .N225 Tokyo report............ FTSE 100............... .FTSE London report........... Xetra DAX............. .GDAXI Frankfurt market stories CAC-40................. .FCHI Paris market stories... World Indices..................................... 0#.INDEX Reuters survey of world bourse outlook......... EQUITYPOLL1 Western European IPO diary.......................... WEUIPO European Asset Allocation........................ Reuters News at a Glance: Equities............... Main currency report:...............................