La trust of Italian companies continues to decrease. In February, the composite index fell to 77,4 points, from 80 in January. This was communicated by Istat, specifying that the decline was mainly determined by companies in market services and retail trade.
The index relating to manufacturing companies, on the other hand, increased slightly, going from 88,3 to 88,5 points. Assessments on orders improved (from -43 to -42), those on inventories (from 0 to 1) and those on production expectations (from -5 to -4).
The analysis by main grouping of industries (Rpi) reveals an improvement in production expectations in intermediate goods (from -7 to -5) and a worsening in capital goods (from -2 to -3). The construction companies index increased from 80,4 in January to 81,6. Poor assessments on construction orders and/or plans (from -50 to -51, the balance), while expectations on employment increased (from -15 to -13, the balance).
The data relating to market services decreased from 78,7 to 73,8: assessments worsened (from -20 to -26) and expectations on orders (from -12 to -13). Expectations on the general economic trend also decreased (from -41 to -49). In retail trade, the confidence climate index decreased from 77,4 to 76,0 points, while in large-scale distribution it rose from 62,5 to 63,7.
