Milan, January 20 - The Milan stock exchange's benchmark FTSE Mib index was a whopping 5.26% down at 17,889 points close to the end of trading on Wednesday. Trading in the shares of 14 blue chip companies was suspended amid the turmoil. These included Poste Italiane (down 6.12%), Generali (-5.14%), Ferragamo (-1.96%), Unipol (-2.88%) and troubled bank Monte Paschi di Siena (MPS), down 20.67%. As in recent days, bank stocks were among the worst-hit amid investor concerns about the number of bad loans on Italian lenders' balance sheets. Carige was also suspended, with its price heading down 16.25%. Earlier on Wednesday Premier Matteo Renzi conferred with Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan and Bank of Italy Governor Ignazio Visco on the turbulence that has hit Italian banking stocks this week. Government sources said that the turbulence was being monitored "with great collaboration, harmony and attention by competent authorities in the awareness of the complexity of the situation and in the conviction that past and future measures by lawmakers will help some banks in a process of integration that is more necessary than ever". European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Wednesday he did "not see the risk of a bigger banking crisis" when asked about the market turbulence that has hit Italian banking stocks particularly hard. Padoan said that, despite the "turbulence", "there is an underlying solidity of the Italian system that is going forward and...is considered one of the most trustworthy and attractive for investments".