ROME, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Yields on Italian bonds topped the 4-percent threshold for the first time in nearly a decade Tuesday, as investors continued to worry about the impacts that inflation and the conflict in Ukraine would have on the country's economic prospects.

       Secondary market trading on Italy's benchmark ten-year bonds ended the day Tuesday at 4.27 percent, a jump of 8.53 percent compared to the previous session. The last time bond yields were so high in Italy was in December 2013.

       Yields for Italian bonds increased in early 2020 amid the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but settled down after the European Union started providing economic aid for member states.

       While the impacts of higher prices and the Ukraine crisis are felt across Europe and far beyond, Italy is being hit particularly hard, as evidenced by the fact that the spread between the yield for Italian and German bonds surpassed 250 basis points on Tuesday.

       Higher bond yields, which increase a country's costs for borrowing money, are a reflection of lower investor confidence in an economy. A wider spread means the perceived economic risks are growing faster in one country (in this case, Italy) than in another (Germany).