Italy - Factors to watch on April 14

The following factors could affect Italian markets on Tuesday.

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's remarks about Pope Leo were "unacceptable", Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Monday, toughening her response after earlier facing criticism for failing to condemn Trump's attack on the pontiff directly.

ECONOMY

A prolonged crisis in the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a global agrifood catastrophe by disrupting fertiliser and energy exports, driving up food prices and squeezing crop yields, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said on Monday.

COMPANIES

BANCA MONTE DEI PASCHI DI SIENA (MPS) BMPS.MI

BlackRock BLK.N, the world's biggest asset manager and the third largest investor in MPS with 4.9%, has decided to back a proposal by a dissident investor to reinstate ousted boss Luigi Lovaglio, ANSA news agency reported on Monday.

ANSA also said that Vanguard, another leading investor with a stake of around 3%, is instead set to back the rival slate of board nominees put forward by the bank's outgoing directors.

(*) Del Vecchio family's Delfin vehicle may choose to abstain from voting on the new board, or to vote in favour of the slate submitted by a group of funds, la Repubblica, MF and Il Giornale reported on Tuesday.

(*) Lender Banco BPM BAMI.MI, which holds 3.7% of the Tuscan bank, will decide on how to vote at a board called on Tuesday, and will likely either abstain from voting or support the candidates suggested by the outgoing board.

(*) While appreciating the management of ousted CEO Luigi Lovaglio, the Benetton family's holding company Edizione plans to vote for the slate submitted by the outgoing board, MF and Il Giornale reported on Tuesday.

(*) The slate submitted by the outgoing board is set to have a support of over 30% of the bank's shareholders, winning on the first round of votes and beating the alternative list of candidates suggested by Plt Holding, newswire Radiocor reported on Monday.

PIRELLI PIRC.MI

China's Sinochem 600500.SS said on Monday it may lodge a legal appeal against curbs set by Italy's government to limit its influence over the Italian tyre maker.

(*) FERRETTI YACHT.MI

KKCG Maritime's stake in Ferretti rose to just over 23% on Monday after the end of its partial voluntary offer on the luxury yacht maker, the Czech investment firm said in a statement on Monday, confirming earlier calculations by Reuters on Borsa Italiana data.

KKCG said it welcomed the "high level of acceptance in the offer" adding it intended to continue "supporting Ferretti's ongoing development and long-term value creation as it prepares to announce its slate of candidates for the board.

(*) TELECOM ITALIA (TIM) TLIT.MI, POSTE ITALIANE PST.MI

The phone group said on Monday it appointed Goldman Sachs GS.N and Evercore EVR.N as advisers for the review of state-backed conglomerate Poste Italiane's cash-and-share offer to take the phone group private, confirming an earlier source-based report by Reuters.

(*) ENI ENI.MI

The Italian finance ministry, shareholder Romano Minozzi and a group of institutional investors representing just under 1% of the energy group's capital all deposited their slate of candidates for the renewal of the board, Eni said in a statement on Monday. The finance ministry has proposed to appoint outgoing Terna TRN.MI CEO Giuseppina Di Foggia as Chairman and confirm Claudio Descalzi as CEO of Eni. Entrepreneur Romano Minozzi, who holds 3.27% of Eni, suggested former Eni Chairman Emma Marcegaglia and entrepreneur Veronica Squinzi as board members.

(*) TERNA TRN.MI

Italian state lender CDP, which holds a stake of just under 30% in Terna, on Monday proposed to appoint Trenitalia Chairman Stefano Cuzzilla as Chairman of the power grid operator and Pasqualino Monti, CEO of traffic controller ENAV ENAV.MI, as Chief Executive.

(*) NEXI NEXII.MI

Citigroup cut the rating of Europe's biggest payments group to 'neutral' from 'buy', and cut the target price to 3.40 euros from 5 euros.

A2A A2.MI

The energy group said on Monday it had completed the acquisition of the remaining 10% of Duereti, reaching full ownership.

STELLANTIS STLAM.MI

Annual shareholders' meeting (1200 GMT).

MEDIOBANCA MDBI.MI

Annual shareholders' meeting (0730 GMT).

HERA HRA.MI

Annual shareholders' meeting (0800 GMT).

DIARY

Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti attends IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings, G7/G20 in Washington (to April 17).

Rome, Industry Minister Adolfo Urso attends pharmaceutical industry association Farmindustria event "Innovation, investment, skills: the pharmaceutical industry as a key asset of Made in Italy" (0830 GMT).

Rome, Italian Competition and Market Authority President Roberto Rustichelli presents the regulator's 2025 Annual report. (0900 GMT).

Milan, Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin attends "Energy transition and the nuclear industry 2026" (0730 GMT).

((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

Reuters News at a Glance: Equities...............TOP/EQE

Main currency report:...............................FRX/