THEItalian industry in April, two months after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it shows record levels. Istat says so which indicates for April an increase in turnover of 2,7% both for the total and for the domestic and foreign components, specifying that the seasonally adjusted index marked “il highest level since the beginning of the historical series” in January 2000.
The April figure, which opens the assessments of the second quarter, shows total turnover, corrected for calendar effects, growing in trend terms of 22%, with increases of 21,8% on the domestic market and 22,5% on the foreign one, says the Institute. Working days were 19 against 21 in April 2021.
However, comments the institute, “the trend is less accentuated considering the indicator in terms of volume, available for the manufacturing sector. The volume data for manufacturing in fact indicate an increase of 1,1% in April compared to March and of 5,5% compared to the previous year.
Industry turnover: energy and capital goods are the driving force
In trend terms, net of calendar effects, there was a marked increase in the value of turnover both in overall terms and with reference to the main groupings of industries, with particularly significant increases for the energy sector. “Also in this case the growth in volume is much more contained” says the note from the Institute.
With reference to the main groupings of industries, in April the seasonally adjusted turnover indices show cyclical increases for energy (+6%), i capital goods (+3,5%), i consumer goods (+2,1%) and intermediate goods (+ 2%).
Double-digit increases in one year, energy +64,4%, transport down
As regards the indexes corrected for calendar effects referring to the main groupings of industries, there are very marked year-on-year increases for energy (+64,4%), intermediate goods (+30,3%) and consumer goods (+21,9%), while the increase for capital goods (+4%) is more contained.
All sectors of economic activity show growth in trend terms, with the exception of means of transport (down by 18,3%), reads the note.
Looking to the February-April quarter 2022, the overall index grew by 6,6% compared to the previous quarter (+6,4% on the domestic market and +7,0% on the foreign market).
