Italy

In a report confirming that the ECB is preparing for a rerun of a post-Brexit scenario, Reuters writes that the ECB is ready to temporarily step up purchases of Italian government bonds if the result of next Sunday's crucial referendum, which according to WSJ will likely determine the future of not only Monte Paschi but other insolvent Italian banks, "rocks markets" and sharply drives up borrowing costs for the euro zone's largest debtor.

European stocks were little changed and oil fell as investors assessed declining prospects for an OPEC deal and risks from Italy’s referendum. Asian stocks declined, while S&P futures pointed to a fractionally higher open, erasing 3 points from yesterday's drop.

Trader attention today - and tomorrow - will be focused on oil which retreated back under $47 as OPEC members failed to bridge differences on production cuts, while a rally in metals ran out of steam. The rand plunged after President Jacob Zuma survived a leadership threat.

Submitted by John Rubino via DollarCollapse.com,

No rest for the wicked. With the shockwaves from Brexit and President Trump still reverberating around the world, the established order is bracing for more bad news. Next up is a December 4 Italian constitutional referendum that might end the reign of centrist prime minister Matteo Renzi and replace him with a bunch of anti-euro iconoclasts from the Brexit/Trump part of the spectrum. Here’s an excerpt from a much longer, deep-context Guardian UK article:

Just as we were concluding our write up on the return of Europe's solvency crisis, facilitated by Donald Trump's NATO funding demands and the end of the ECB's unprecedented can kicking exercise, the FT reported that as many as eight of Italy’s troubled banks "risk failing" if prime minister Renzi loses next weekend's constitutional referendum and ensuing market turbulence deters investors from recapitalizing them, citing senior bankers.

Politicians in Emilia-Romagna, a region in northern Italy, have approved a law that bans unvaccinated children from attending nurseries, for public health and safety reasons. The law will come into force next month, but parents will be given until the spring of 2017 to bring their child’s immunisation up to date. RT.com reports: The law was passed by the regional Legislative Assembly with a majority of 27 votes in favor on Wednesday. The five votes against the initiative came from the Five Star Movement, while 10 lawmakers abstained.