Crolla the purchasing power of Italian families. According to the latest Istat data, taking into account inflation, in 2012 the decline was 4,8%. Only in the fourth quarter of last year there was a reduction of 0,9% on a quarterly basis and even 5,4% on an annual basis.
As for the household disposable income in current values, it decreased by 2,1% in the whole of 2012, while in the last three months of the year the reduction was 0,3% compared to the previous quarter and 3,2% on an annual basis.
La household propensity to save, however, fell to 8,2% in 2012, marking a decrease of 0,5 percentage points compared to the previous year. In the fourth quarter, net of seasonal factors, the figure was equal to 8,3%, for a decrease of 0,2 percentage points compared to the previous quarter and of 0,9 points compared to the corresponding quarter of 2011.
Also declining corporate profits and investment. Again according to Istat, last year the profit share of non-financial companies was 39%, down by 1,1% compared to 2011. In the fourth quarter of 2012, however, the figure was 38,5%, down by 0,6 percentage points compared to the quarter previous year and by 1,2 points compared to the corresponding quarter of 2011.
In 2012 the investment rate of non-financial companies fell to 20,5%, with a reduction of 1,4 percentage points compared to 2011. In the last quarter of the year, however, it remained at 20,1%, unchanged compared to the previous quarter, but down by 1,4 percentage points on the fourth quarter of 2011.