Italy's consumer confidence index falls, same for retail trade rises

The retail trade confidence index rose from 107.2 to 108.1. In particular, the improvement was due to the expectations on future sales, while the assessments on the current business trend worsened again and the inventories are assessed to be increasing.

The confidence climate in manufacturing decreased from 109.5 to 106.7, according to figures from the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat).

More specifically, unfavourable signals came from assessments on order books and, to a lesser extent, from expectations on the future production.

Survey participants considered inventories to have decreased.

The market services confidence got worse from 109.0 to 104.1. Firms indicated a worsening in all the confidence-building variables.

In fact, the respondents were pessimistic with respect to the current order books, the current business trend and the future order books.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)