Italy's debt woes continue
The Chase by Noah Zivitz:

Italian borrowing costs are continuing to rise. Later today, PM Berlusconi will discuss the unfolding drama in a Parliamentary address. In the meantime, European Commission president Jose Barroso says bond market developments are "clearly unwarranted", and of "deep concern". Mr. Barroso goes on to say bond market activity reflects uncertainty about the eurozone's ability to respond to the currency bloc's evolving crisis. What we need to know today is when eurozone officials will demonstrate their capacity to get ahead of the curve, rather than putting out fires as they crop up.

Not to be overlooked, the Swiss National Bank announced a currency market intervention this morning, saying the Franc is massively overvalued. What other central banks could be compelled to protect their economy from undue currency pressure? Martin is piecing it all together.

Even though the debt-ceiling deal has been signed, America's fiscal sustainability remains a top story. Fitch and Moody's said late yesterday they're sticking with their triple-A ratings for now; we're still waiting to hear from S&P. In the interim, we must continue to ask how the economy will perform as the cuts kick in. We'll also be asking all CEOs who stop by BNN how the debt drama has affected their company's plans.

Research in Motion has taken the wraps off three new handsets. Will the new Bold and Torches capture consumers' imagination? Who will buy them knowing a new O/S is coming next year?

Lots of earnings: Agrium appears to have posted a massive beat. We'll learn more about its results later today when Mike Wilson sits down with Kim on BD PM. We're also sifting through results from MasterCard, Devon Energy, Fortis, Time Warner, among others. After the bell, we'll shift our focus to Sun Life, Great-West Lifeco and Yamana Gold.

We're getting something of a mixed read on America's labour market, with ADP showing 114,000 private-sector jobs were added last month. That tops expectations, but we're wondering how closely it will track Friday's non-farm payrolls report. The Challenger job cuts report, for its part, shows announced firings surged nearly 60 percent last month.

Maple Group is extending its offer for TMX Group to September 30th. Shouldn't come as a surprise, given the agreed-to talks between the group and TMX.