Kate Allen, (2018), “Italy stand-off raises concern of contagion”, Financial Times, 19 November
What threat do Italy’s bond market woes pose to the yields on other eurozone nations’ debt?
Yields on Italian bonds have been ratcheting up since a populist Eurosceptic coalition took power in May. The government’s recent agreement of an aggressive budget plan for 2019 has provided a further upward momentum, leading to a fresh sell-off of Italian debt and a fall in the country’s bank stocks.
So far there has been little sign of contagion. In the five months since the Italian sell-off began, 10-year Spanish debt has risen 34 basis points to 1.64 per cent, and the equivalent Portuguese yield climbed 38 bps to 1.96 per cent.
Relevant Posts
- Ashoka Mody, (2018), «The eurozone is having an identity crisis and Italy will bear the brunt», Prospect magazine, 16 November
- Simon Tilford, (2018), «Italy’s budget challenge to the EU», esharp.eu, November