European government bonds advanced, with Italian and Irish yields falling to the lowest on record, as prospects of further European Central Bank stimulus fueled demand for the region’s debt securities. Portugal’s 10-year yield dropped to the least since 2006 and Spain’s to a level not seen since 2005 as reports showing euro-area inflation at a four-year low and a drop in German investor confidence added to signs the region’s recovery in stalling. Investors bought the securities as a refuge as they shunned emerging markets amid turmoil in Ukraine, less than two years after ECB President Mario Draghi deemed it ... (full story)