Chief Investment Officer of equities at Federated Investors, Stephen Auth, examines the sovereign debt situation in Italy and the chances of Italy defaulting. "It's one thing if Greece were to default (though that's looking less likely); it's entirely another if the euro-zone’s third-largest economy struggles to pay up. The worry is that nearly $260 billion of Italy's sovereign debt rolls over this year, with a significant chunk coming due next month. If investor appetite for Italian debt doesn't hold up, Italian bond yields may spike, Spain may follow and the risk-off trade is back on with a vengeance. We think this sort of thinking is misguided."
