German Bund futures open half a point higher

LONDON: German Bund futures opened half a point higher on Friday as investors came back to bond markets after strong debt sales in Italy, Spain and Ireland on Thursday.

Yields have risen sharply across Europe in the past two months, with German 10-year Bund yields jumping from near zero to above 1 percent during that period.

The solid demand at the debt sales on Thursday gave the market a signal that many investors were eager to take advantage of the higher yields.

Bund futures opened 52 ticks higher at 150.91. The last traded 41 ticks higher at 150.80. Bund yields fell 3 basis points to 0.87 percent.

Italian BTP futures were 48 ticks lower at 131.37.