According to data released by the MiSE, the rise in the Eurozone Economic Sentiment Index (ESI), which reached its highest level in over 10 years, it is the result of improved confidence in industry and services. In this picture Italy is the country that recorded the greatest increase in the ESI index with a +3,6 (against 1,7 in France, 1,4 in Spain and -0,6 in Germany). Also, the data ISTAT indicate an increase in turnover in services in our country of 2,7% in the second quarter of 2017 compared to the same period last year.
The analysis of the two indices also shows that good signs come from industrial sectors with a high technological content: together with the data on industrial production, those on the growth of confidence in Italy and in Europe indicate that companies are increasingly investing in technology and innovation. Indeed, in Italy turnover of trade in technology and machinery increases almost double the general index, with sustained growth in the wholesale trade of machinery, equipment and supplies (+4,7% during the first half of this year compared to the same period of 2016) and ICT equipment (+4,1%). Hence, it is essentially the investments in goods and innovation of those companies that use tools such as the Industry 4.0 Plan and the SME Guarantee Fund.
