The yield on 10-year Italian and Spanish government bonds fell to record lows on Thursday after the European Central Bank announced a massive bond buying programme.
At 1400 GMT the rate of return to investors on benchmark Spanish 10-year bonds hit a record low of 1.450 percent, down from 1.530 percent the night before. Meanwhile the yield on Italian 10-year bonds hit a record of 1.609 percent, down from 1.691 percent on Wednesday.