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 (*).
ITALIAN POLITICAL CRISIS
Italy's prime minister-designate Enrico Letta started "encouraging" talks on Thursday for a new government to end two months of political deadlock, but said significant differences with the centre-right would take more time to iron out.
Letta, the 46-year-old deputy head of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), said he would use Friday as a "day to reflect" on his chances of piecing together a broad coalition to govern the euro zone's third-largest economy.
ITALY DEBT
The Treasury sells 8.0 billion euros 6-month BOTs, short-term bills, maturing on Oct. 31, 2013 (184 days). Subscriptions close at 0900 GMT.
STOCK MARKET
Borsa Italiana after hours trading is closed.
* BANCA MONTE DEI PASCHI DI SIENA
Italy's Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena is committed to avoiding the state becoming a majority shareholder in the bank, chief executive Fabrizio Viola said on Friday.
* ENEL
Italy's biggest utility will announce some of the asset sales it has planned to cut its debt before the end of this year, the company's chief executive Fulvio Conti said on Friday in an interview in Il Sole 24 Ore.
FIAT
The Italian automaker and a United Auto Workers trust each appeared to score points with a Delaware judge on Thursday during a hearing that could help determine what the Italian company has to pay to acquire the rest of car maker Chrysler Group LLC.
Fiat Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne wants to buy a minority stake in Chrysler that is held by the trust to create the world's seventh-largest auto maker and give Fiat the added cash flow and scale to ride out Europe's economic slump.
BANCA POPOLARE DI MILANO
The co-operative bank holds extraordinary board meeting ahead of AGM to be held tomorrow.
* UBI BANCA
The cooperative bank is not interested in changing its bylaws and transforming itself into a joint stock company, the bank's new chairman Andrea Moltrasio said in an interview in Il Messaggero.
MEDIASET
The broadcaster denied a report it plans to sell its Mediaset Premium pay-tv unit.
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