Spread closes down 4 on 181 (2)

(ANSA) - Rome, March 24 - The spread between Italian and German 10-year bond yields, a gauge of Italy's borrowing costs and of market confidence in the Italian economy, closed down four points on 181 points Friday, compared to 185 at Thursday's closed, with the yield down a shade at 2.20%.
    The lower the spread is, the better it is for the Italian economy and debt-servicing costs.
    The spread rose above 200 points recently on EU populist fears.