Government bond auctions used to be routine, not to say dull, affairs - watched over only by market specialists. Not any more. Ever since November, when mighty Germany saw a partial failure of one its own 10-year bond auctions, these regular sales of sovereign bills and bonds have become a very public measure of a country's ability to remain solvent. The last few days have seen a modest respite on the debt markets, with unexpectedly strong demand for German and British five- and 10-year bonds. But attention is now shifting to the more stressed Southern European countries that are struggling to service their loans. ... (full story)