Updated

All eyes are on Italian President Sergio Mattarella after he vetoed the proposed euroskeptic economy minister of what would have been Western Europe's first populist government.

News reports said Mattarella would convene the former International Monetary Fund official, Carlo Cottarelli, to the presidential palace on Monday and ask him to form a technical government that can lead Italy until early elections.

Markets have largely welcomed Mattarella's decision to put an end to the proposed government of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and right-wing nationalist League, which had insisted on Paolo Savona as economy minister. Savona has questioned whether Italy should ditch the euro as its currency.

The spread of points between Italy's bonds and benchmark German bonds, which had grown alarmingly last week, fell early Monday.