Italian banks' holdings of domestic govt bonds fall to lowest since August - ECB

MILAN: Italian government bonds held by banks operating in the country fell to 377.75 billion euros ($430.6 billion)in December from 388.31 billion a month earlier, European Central Bank data showed on Monday.

The December figure marks the lowest level since August 2018, after holdings rose for three months in a row reaching a high since May 2017 in November.

Domestic banks have stepped up purchases of government bonds as foreign investors reduced their holdings in the last few months due to the anti-austerity and anti-European stance of the country's new government.