Fluctuating performance in the first few months of the year for Italian exports, which leads to a quarterly drop in sales on foreign markets of 1,5%, in seasonally adjusted data, against an increase in exports from our main competitors - Germany and France – by 1,6% and 0,2% respectively on an annual basis. This is what emerges from the data released today by the Association of Italian Chambers of Commerce Abroad.
The decrease also on the import side (-3,1%), mainly due to the collapse of the energy component (-32,5%), leads to an increase in the balance of trade of around 1,2 billion, again in seasonally adjusted data, for a total value of 13 billion.
“The strong uncertainties of the international markets seem to be leading Italian companies to change their strategy of presence abroad. As purchase prices are decreasing, companies are in fact reducing sales prices as well, and this in order to maintain their presence on some strategic international markets. In this, the contribution of the Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad is important, which thanks to their strong roots in the territories, help companies both in the insertion phase and in the presence of market niches", underlines Gian Domenico Auricchio, President of Assocamerestero, commenting on the Istat data on foreign trade released today.
At the sectoral level, mechanics is confirmed as the driving force of Made in Italy with an export share of 18,3% and a surplus in the quarter of approximately 10,8 billion euros. Worth noting in March was the strong increase in sales of means of transport (+10,5%), which come close to +18% net of motor vehicles.
As regards the target markets, negative performances in the first quarter of 2016 for almost all markets outside the EU 28, with a generalized decrease, in seasonally adjusted data, of 6,0% and, in detail, of 23,1% in Mercosur, 13,9% in Russia, 11,4% in Mediterranean Africa, 6,6% in Switzerland and 1,8% in the United States.
