Spread crosses 210-point threshold (3)

(ANSA) - Rome, May 25 - The spread between Italy's 10-year BTP Bond and the German Bund crossed the 210-basis-point mark on Friday and climbed to 216, the highest level since February 2014. The yield on the BTP went up to 2.54%, the highest since October 2014. The spread later closed on 204 with a yield of 2.44%.
    The spread, an important measure of investor confidence, has been on the rise as the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) and the anti-migrant, Euroskeptic League close in on a forming a new government, the first populist executive in the eurozone.
    The spread closed on 191 points on Thursday.
    The lower the spread is, the better it is for the Italian economy and debt-servicing costs.
    The spread rose above 200 points last year on EU populist fears in France and other countries.
    The Milan stock exchange's FTSE Mib index dropped 1.54% on Thursday.
    Bank stocks were hit particularly hard.