9.09am: From Rome, John Hooper reports that today looks like being "make-or-break day" for the putative Monti government.Italy's new leader Mario Monti is struggling to form his new cabinet. Photograph: Pier Paolo Cito/AP
Three key questions need to be answered, John explains:First, how will Berlusconi's party, the Freedom People, react to Mario Monti's insistence on remaining prime minister until spring of 2013? Many of the media tycooon's followers wanted a stop-gap government followed by elections.This uncertainty is not playing well in the City, with Italian 10-year bond yields still hovering around the 6.94% mark.
Second, can Monti succeed in luring some politicians into his cabinet? He didn't sound too hopeful last night.
And, finally, who will be his ministers? We may not know that until Wednesday. Signs are that very few will be known to the general public in Italy, let alone outside.
Der Spiegel presenta un'infografica dei miliardi di obbligazioni italiane che ha comprato la Bce da maggio di quest'anno
imagecredit der spiegel
Montagna di sfide per Mario Monti titola il Wall Street Journal
Italy's prime minister-designate, Mario Monti, has boiled his daunting in-tray down to three aims: fix the country's public finances, restart economic growth, and make Italy more equitable. The technocrat's succinct diagnosis may garner respect. He may also earn credit simply for not being Silvio Berlusconi: Italy managed to sell five-year bonds worth €3 billion ($4.1 billion) Monday. Still, the 6.29% yield on the new bonds, and the sharp rise in trading afterward, suggests solving Italy's problems won't be half as simple as setting them...
Non meglio va per la Spagna, nonostante le elezioni imminenti, a quel che ne dice El Pais, che parla di un contagio dei problemi italiani
El Tesoro paga por la deuda a un año un 5%, el tipo más alto desde 1997
El aumento de la desconfianza sobre la eurozona y el contagio de los problemas de Italia obligan al Estado a elevar con fuerza la rentabilidad de las letras a 12 y 18 meses sobre el 5%