Italy - Factors to watch on December 15

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

A national strike by Italy's largest trade union to protest against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's 2026 budget brought thousands onto the streets on Friday and disrupted trains, schools and other public services across the country.

Italy's co-ruling League party wants the government to accept that a new decree to send arms to Ukraine, due by the end of this year, must in some way recognise that the situation has changed due to ongoing negotiations to end the war, prominent League senator Claudio Borghi said in a statement on Saturday.

ECONOMY

Italy's Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti denied on Friday any plan to use gold reserves held by the country's central bank to reduce the public debt.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Sunday called on the European Central Bank to "have courage" and launch a new round of quantitative easing. Speaking at the annual conference of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's ruling Brothers of Italy party, Tajani said the strength of the euro was hurting the Italian economy more than US trade tariffs.

COMPANIES

JUVENTUS JUVE.MI

Italy's Agnelli family has no intention of selling Juventus to crypto group Tether or anyone else, the CEO of their holding company said on Saturday, rejecting Tether's shock offer for Italy's most successful soccer club.

(*) Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti welcomed John Elkann and the Agnelli family's decision not to sell their majority stake in the Serie A club, and said it was now up to those on the football side to build a better future.

(*) The club scored a 1-0 victory away against Bologna in Serie A on Sunday evening.

(*) ENI ENI.MI

Kazakhstan's energy minister, Yerlan Akkenzhenov, said on Monday that a ruling in the arbitration case involving an international consortium developing the Karachaganak oil and gas condensate field is expected before year-end.

The field is operated by the Karachaganak Petroleum Operating consortium, which includes Eni, Shell SHEL.L, Chevron CVX.N, Lukoil LKOH.MM and KazMunayGaz KMGZ.KZ.

(*) STELLANTIS STLAM.MI

The European Commission is expected on Tuesday to reverse the EU's effective ban on sales of new combustion-engine cars from 2035, bowing to intense pressure from Germany, Italy and European automakers struggling against Chinese and U.S. rivals.

SNAM SRG.MI

Moody's revised on Friday the gas grid operator's outlook to positive from stable and confirmed its Baa2 long-term issuer rating following Snam's decision to scrap the planned acquisition of a stake in German group Open Grid Europe.

TERNA TRN.MI

The Italian power-grid company is on track to meet its Ebitda guidance for 2025, its CEO Giuseppina Di Foggia told daily Corriere della Sera in an interview published on Saturday. She added that costs related to power transport on Terna's network only account for 4% of energy bills in Italy.

(*) TENARIS TENR.MI

Goldman Sachs on Monday initiated coverage on the steel pipe maker with a 'neutral' rating.

(*) DIASORIN DIAS.MI

Morgan Stanley on Monday cut the rating of the medical diagnostics group to 'equal weight' from 'overweight', and cut the target price to 63 euros from 99 euros.

(*) LAZIO LAZI.MI

The Rome-based club secured a 1-0 victory at Parma in Serie A on Saturday.

DIARY

Bank of Italy releases October data on public finances, state borrowing and debt.

Rome, Bank of Italy, European Central Bank and the World Bank start 4th edition joint conference "Trade, value chains and financial linkages in the global economy"; ends on December 16.

Rome, 18th edition of the "Conference of Italian Ambassadors in the World" at the Foreign Ministry starts ; ends on December 18 in Milan. At the opening session on Monday expected attendees include President Sergio Mattarella, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.

Rome, Fincantieri Foundation event "A Story of innovation".

((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

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/