(ANSA) - Milan, December 16 - Italy's leading financial index was rising at the end of the day's trading on Monday, topping the list of European stock exchanges. The Milan bourse closed up 2.34%, followed by Frankfurt's 1.74%, London's 1.3%, Paris's 1.48%, and Madrid's 1.69%. The spread between Italian 10-year bonds and their AAA-rated German equivalents, the premium investors pay to hold Italian paper, meanwhile fell Monday to 220 basis points with a 4.03% yield.