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

In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reiterated calls for more lenient budget rules, saying leeway currently allowed for defence should also be applied to energy-related spending.

Without this, Meloni said it would be very difficult for the Italian government to explain to taxpayers why Rome might resort to the European Union's SAFE scheme to fund its defence programme.

ECONOMY

ISTAT releases March foreign trade data (0800 GMT).

DEBT

Credit rating agency S&P Global concluded on Friday its review on Italy with a no rating action. S&P Global has a 'BBB+' rating on Italy with a positive outlook.

COMPANIES

(*) LEONARDO LDOF.MI

The United Arab Emirates is looking at joint ventures with several European groups, including Leonardo and Airbus AIR.PA, because they have strong defence sectors, Economy and Tourism Minister Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri told Italian daily Corriere della Sera in an interview published on Monday. He added that he had not personally held meetings with Leonardo, but that Emirati defence group Edge had.

(*) STELLANTIS STLAM.MI

Japan's Nidec Corp 6594.T will end a EV motor joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile Group 601238.SS and the Franco-Italian car maker, its CEO Mitsuya Kishida told Nikkei in an interview on Monday.

GENERALI GASI.MI

BlackRock BLK.N holds a 5.01% indirect stake in the Italian insurer, including 3.14% in voting rights, Italian Consob regulator's filing showed on Friday.

ENI ENI.MI

The Italian major has completed on Friday a 70 million dollar investment in Canadian company Nouveau Monde Graphite NOU.TO

JUVENTUS JUVE.MI

The Italian soccer club suffered on Sunday a shock 2-0 home loss to 10-man Fiorentina to drop from third to sixth in the Serie A standings.

(*) LAZIO LAZI.MI

The Rome-based Biancocelesti lost the Capital Derby 2-0 to AS Roma on Sunday.

FTSE MIB

Shares trading ex-dividend will have a negative impact on Monday's blue-chip index by around 1.51%, traders told Reuters on Friday.

DIARY

Paris, Italy's Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti and Bank of Italy's governor Fabio Panetta attend G7 meeting of finance ministers and central bankers.

Borgo Egnazia, Puglia, FT Business of Luxury Summit 2026. On Monday participants include Delphine Arnault, Dior Chairman & CEO and Joanne Crevoiserat, Tapestry CEO.

General strike by USB union in several Italian cities calling on government to cut ties with Israel, impose a full arms embargo on war zones and boycott Israeli imports.

San Domenico di Fiesole, Tuscany, Keynote speech by ECB Board member Patrick Montagner at Conference "Research and Market Perspectives on the Evolving Bank Supervisory and Regulatory Landscape" organised by European University Institute/Bank Policy Institute (1515GMT)

((Milan newsroom, e-mail: reutersitaly@thomsonreuters.com))

For Italian market data and news, click on codes in
brackets:

($1 = 0.8523 euros)