Italy managed to sell nearly 3 billion euros worth of government bonds but was forced to offer a hefty premium to convince investors to accept the increased risk associated with the country’s sovereign debt. 15-year bonds were offered at a 5.9 percent return – an all-time high for Italian bonds of this duration.
Five-year bonds were also released, with a yield of 4.9%, the highest return since June 2008.
Source: BBC News