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 (*).
POLITICS
Cabinet meets on public administration reform and short term workers.
ECONOMY
Treasury announces sale of BOTs, short-term bills, with relative amounts to be auctioned on August 28.
COMPANIES
PARMALAT
Italian dairy group Parmalat may buy a stake in bankrupt Brazilian dairy conglomerate Lacteos Brasil SA LBR, one of LBR's main shareholders said on Thursday. In a statement on Thursday Parmalat said exclusive talks were under way with Lacteos.
* UNIPOL, MEDIOBANCA
The 3.83 percent stake the insurer owns in investment bank Mediobanca and which it must sell as part of a deal to merge with peer Fondiaria could be sold to institutional investors via a placement and not to other investors in the bank's shareholder pact, Il Sole 24 Ore said. The paper said the hope was that the stake could be sold by the end of the year.
* BANCA CARIGE
The bank could try to sell up to 49 percent in its private bank Cesare Ponti or stakes in small local banks it owns as part of a plan to strengthen its capital base, MF said, without citing sources. * D'AMICO
The group is set to commission from China shipyard Yang-fan six bulk carriers for around $150 million, MF said.planning to invest
AUTOGRILL
The highways group said its investor day to present retailing spin off World Duty Free Group (WDFG) has been delayed to Sept. 10 from Sept. 9.
Milan bourse after-hours trading closed.
For more details on today's events please see the full agenda in Italian.
For Italian market data and news, click on codes in brackets:
20 biggest gainers (in percentage)............
20 biggest losers (in percentage).............
FTSE IT allshare index
FTSE Mib index........
FTSE Allstars index...
FTSE Mid Cap index....
Block trades..........
Stories on Italy...... <IT-LEN>
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