In the initiative launched by the Italian authorities towards Brussels, the adequate single approach of avoiding confrontation and waiting to have all the information before commiting itself has been confirmed. The President of the Eurogroup reinforced this approach yesterday by recalling that the creation of a budget is a long process and that he will have to await the draft before giving a firm opinion.
Italy’s sovereign debt has become a bargain due to the country’s upcoming referendum (December 4th) which may compromise Renzi’s government. Yield premium investors demand to hold 10-year securities versus similar Spanish debt soared to its highest closing level in almost two years in October, according to Bloomberg data.
The current uncertain political panorama in Spain after the December 20 elections has not been reflected in any significant way in sovereign debt spreads. The yield on the 10-year bond compared with the German bund is around 130 bp, no more than 10-15 bp above the pre-elections level. One alternative to reduce (or diversify) exposure to Spain’s public debt may be take positions in Italian debt.