Industrial slightly down in May. According to the rapid investigation of the Study Center of Confindustria, production decreased by 0,1% compared to April, a month in which an increase of 0,2% over March is estimated. The distance from the peak of activity recorded before the crisis (April 2008) in May stands at 24,6%.
“For the next few months, Italian manufacturing entrepreneurs expect a slight progress in activity compared to the current phase of extreme weakness – writes the CSC -. The Istat survey reports an improvement in judgments on total orders in May (balance to -44 from -45), due to an increase in both domestic demand (-48 from -50) and foreign demand (-31 from -32 ). Expectations on the three-month level of production and orders have also improved, but from the very low levels reached in April”.
Production, calculated net of the different number of working days, it decreased in May by 3,2% compared to May 2012, while in April there was a drop of 3,6% on the same month last year. Volume orders in May recorded a decrease of 0,4% on April and 3,0% on May 2012. In April they decreased by 0,7% on March and 3,9% on April 2012. In May , the cyclical variation acquired for the second quarter of 2013 is -0,7%.
