The confidence of Italian companies is still falling. According to Istat data, in fact, in the month of September the composite index of the confidence climate of Italian businesses experienced a new decline: to 86,6 from 88,1 in August, a deterioration that involves all sectors, from manufacturing to retail trade, via market services and construction.
As regards manufacturing companies, the index fell to 95,1 from 95,4 in August. Production expectations improve (the balance from 1 to 2) but assessments on order books worsen (from -25 to -27); the balance relating to assessments on inventories remains stable at 3. Among the main groupings, consumer goods and capital goods are growing, while intermediate goods are decreasing.
Confidence among construction companies fell to 75,4 from 76,7 in August. Assessments on construction orders and/or plans remain stable (at -48), but expectations on employment worsen slightly (from -22 to -23).
The decline in service and retail trade businesses was very sharp, going from 87,4 to 84,9 and from 97,7 to 92,5 respectively. In decline, for the retail trade, both large-scale and traditional distribution.
