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Italy’s spread problem is not (always) a credit story

Occasional doubts over Italy’s role in the monetary union adds political risk premium, argues economist

Mario Draghi addressing the European Parliament in May 2022
Mario Draghi addresses the European Parliament in May 2022, during his stint as Italian prime minister
CC-BY-4.0: © European Union 2022 – Source: EP/https://tinyurl.com/3medktv3

The BTP-Bund spread is routinely framed as shorthand for Italy’s fiscal credibility. Market data tells a more selective story. Beyond credit and liquidity, the spread intermittently reveals a political-institutional risk premium, which at times also reflects implicit redenomination risk. This would occur if one or more countries exited the monetary union and its euro-denominated bonds were

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