Il Study Center of Confindustria estimate a decline in industrial production by 0,2% in February compared to January (month for which a change of +0,5% was estimated over December 2013).
Production, net of the different number of working days, specifies CsC in the rapid survey on industrial production, increased by 0,4% in February compared to February 2013. In January there was an increase of 0,2% on the same month of the previous year. In February, the distance from the pre-crisis production peak (April 24,4) stands at -2008%.
Order volumes are judged to be down in February by 0,3% over January (-1,1% over February 2013); in January they had decreased by 0,1% on December (-1,2% on January 2013). In February, the cyclical variation acquired for the first quarter of 2014 was nil.
Based on the Istat qualitative indicators, "a positive but sluggish trend is emerging for industrial activity in the coming months". Entrepreneurs' evaluations on the current level of total orders improved in February (balance to -25 from -27 in January, -26 in the 4th quarter of 2013). In particular, the balance of assessments on domestic orders remained unchanged (at -40, -41 the average in the 4th quarter), against an increase in that relating to the foreign component (-17 from -21, it was -17 in the previous quarter). Three-month expectations on production worsened by one percentage point (balance at 5), those on orders remained stable.
